


Morals Vs Desire

by Jai_Anoleis



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: 3rd person POV switches between Moira and Mercy, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content, Moira gets progressively worse, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-Talon Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Slightly Alternative Universe, The usual infidelity you get when Gerard is alive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-05-10 07:39:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 47,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14732753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jai_Anoleis/pseuds/Jai_Anoleis
Summary: Despite a strong attraction to to the controversial geneticist, Angela Ziegler has decided to keep her distance from Moira O'Deorain. However, things become much more complicated when she finds herself also developing feelings from a colleague's wife and Moira is in no way willing to let her go.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Mercymaker doesn't really come into play until the second chapter so don't get upset if you came for that. It's coming! Thanks for stopping by!

Moira didn't consider herself the type of person who enjoyed being the center of attention, however when the attention was for her work, that sentiment went out the window. She stood proudly on the platform in the large auditorium, her fire red hair slicked back, right hand pressed against the purple tie around her neck going on and on about her newest tech. Moira had been working on a new biotic shielding implant that not only offered protection in combat but could also be used as an offensive attack against potential threats. What made her shield particularly desirable was that once it was implanted inside of a person its usage was solely autonomic giving the person one less thing to worry about while engaging in combat. 

While dozens of eyes looked on assumingly impressed with the technology there was only one pair that really caught her attention. She found herself focused on the pair of blue eyes that gazed at her sheepishly from the far right side of the room. Her grin expanded as she began to take questions. Had the technology been tested? Of course. What was the risk of failure? Less than twenty percent. What were the side effects? Migraines, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting, seizures in some cases, all manageable and low risk. Every answer she gave garnered more praise and less apprehension from the crowd. And though she was pleased with the reception, her focus remained on the blond who began to ease through the row she was seated in towards the exit in the back of the room. Moira managed to keep her in her sights until the stream of questions finally came to an end and the crowd began to disperse into the adjoining ballroom for an informal reception.

Moira shook hands here and there, passed out cards and accepted some others with contact information she had no intention of using as she snaked her way through the crowd until she was merely feet away from her target. Angela was speaking with another geneticist Moira was acquainted with along with Winston, Torbjörn, and Jack. They locked eyes as Angela glanced her way and she could see the apprehension on Angela's face about the inevitable conversation that was soon follow. The last time they'd spoken things had not gone well. Angela had grown increasingly concerned with Moira's research studies and methods. She'd known Moira's history with controversial studies but after spending time with her Angela began to think that maybe Moira had been unfairly judged. After all, there had to be a reason that Overwatch command thought her worth having around and Angela had taken some questionable risks of her own in regards to her research. But the more Angela observed from Moira the more concerned she became particularly when she learned that Moira was not giving all participants much of a choice before experimenting on them. Her participants were often misinformed, some even blackmailed into being test subjects.

 It had caused Angela to distance herself from Moira and turn their budding romance to mere drunken encounters when Angela's inhibitions were temporarily removed and her carnal desire got the better of her. After each time Angela would scold herself and swear it wouldn't happen again and considering the last time had been nearly three months before, Moira was starting to think she meant it. But she hoped this project would show Angela that she was indeed capable of some good and eventually they could pick up where they left off.

Moira took a deep breath as she approached Angela. Her blond hair hung to her shoulders, glasses gracing the bridge of her nose. She wore a white blouse with the Overwatch insignia on the front pocket, a black blazer and matching skirt, boring by most standards, but Moira enjoyed her conservative look especially knowing just how opposite it was from her real personality. She waited quietly as Angela finished commenting on how useful the shield could be in the field, looking away when Moira's shoulder brushed her. 

"That is my wish," Moira said, smiling as the doctor coiled into herself. "Our people need more protection in the field."

"Absolutely," Jack agreed before putting a hand on Moira's shoulder and walking off. Torbjörn and the geneticist followed soon after leaving Angela alone in the lion's den. 

She cleared her throat and finally looked up with an unreadable face. "I'm impressed."

Moira's smile widened. "Oh? Didn't think I could produce something like this?"

Angela waved her off. "Of course you could. But for you to do so...I am told that all of your participants signed informed consent forms before participating in your study. It's an improvement."

There was a sparkle in Angela's eyes that sent tingles up Moira's arms. She rubbed them slowly. "I had you in mind when working on this project."

Angela raised a brow. "Is that so?"

Moira nodded. "With all of your talk of wanting to work in the field I figured there needed to be something more to protect you."

Bright red began to surface underneath Angela's cheeks. Moira felt her heart speed up. She was getting her. She decided it was safe to grab Angela's hand with her slender fingers and gently walked them across her palm. "You know, I enjoy your company, Angela. I find my free time less satisfying when you're not occupying it."

This caused Angela's cheeks to flush even more. Moira eased closer to her, confident now. She'd been uncertain if this project would be enough to gain Angela's affection but now it seemed that it had indeed. She placed a finger underneath Angela's chin and tilted her head up ever so slightly. Angela's eyes inspected every inch of her face, even lingering a moment too long on her lips before settling on her eyes. "You did good here, Moira, but I'm still not sure if we should—"

Before she could finish Moira pressed her lips against hers very softly. Part of her expected to feel a firm palm slap across her face, but instead she felt Angela's smile against hers. When she pulled away she noticed Angela's eyes flutter for a moment. "We disagree when it comes to work, but that doesn't mean that we can't find other things to agree on outside of it."

Angela took a step back crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't disagree with all of your work, Moira, it's your methods that cause the most problems here. You've experimented on unwilling participants who had no knowledge of the risks they were facing. That is more than just work. That's a direct disregard for people in general."

Moira sighed. She heard her defense forming in her head. The end defied the means, there's no reward without some risk, fear keeps people from taking necessary risks, blah blah blah. She knew Angela wouldn't hear any of it and she'd be left to leave this event alone. That was not on her to do list for the evening, so she pushed that defense away and focused on the woman in front of her, told her what she wanted to hear. "I know I've made mistakes with my methods in the past, but I have no intention of doing that again. I understand your point of view and I actually agree."

Angela's eyebrows arched with apprehension. "I...was not expecting that."

Moira's grin grew wide enough to expose teeth. "I know, but I mean it. This is only the beginning."

Moira's breath caught in her chest as she watched the battle Angela was fighting in her head. She was so close, but it could go either way. She decided it best to not push her luck as she feared too much coaxing could push the doctor away. But to her surprise Angela put her hand on her shoulder as she stood in front of her. Her breath was warm against Moira's lips as she said, "I feel foolish for believing you, but I can't help but think there's some hope for you."

For the next hour they made their way around the room with Moira rubbing elbows and soaking up the praise from her work, and as much as she enjoyed it, what she liked most was having Angela beaming on her arm the entire time, the real prize of the evening. After growing tired of it all Moira then grabbed Angela by her wrist and eased her towards the nearest exit. "As nice as this all is, I'd much rather spend the rest of my evening in your company only."

Angela smiled at the sentiment and followed her out to the curb to wait for a cab, her body clinging against Moira's as the cool air cascaded over them. "Where are we off to?" Angela asked.

Moira thought for a moment. She could use a drink just to get her blood flowing. But she had that at home so a bar was not really necessary. "Would you mind my place?" she asked with a slick look over her shoulder.

Angela looked as if she was pondering the question, her hand on her chin, brows narrow before she nodded. "That would be fine."

Nearly forty-five minutes later they were pushing their way into the darkness of Moira's apartment. It wasn't much, certainly wasn't fancy only consisting of the bare minimum, a couch in the living room and rugs on the hardwood floor, some dishes in the kitchen that were often unused, a bed and a desk in her office. She didn't consider it a bedroom because she worked far more than she slept in it. Angela never seemed to mind when she came over. Plus, Moira had seen Angela's apartment. It was hardly any better.

The floor was littered with loose leaf paper, notes from ideas that Moira had either passed on or failed to make anything of. There was also an empty bottle of whiskey next to her desk and a half empty one on top. She grabbed the neck of the latter and took a swig before handing the bottle off the Angela who inspected it briefly before doing the same. A slight hiss escaped her throat. "I don't understand how you drink this stuff so easily."

Moira chuckled as she removed her jacket. "It's all about the burn, my dear." She went to pull at her tie but was stopped by Angela's fingers intercepting it. Eager fingers pulled at the knot as she undid it and slipped the silky fabric from around her neck. She then began to work at the buttons of Moira's shirt undoing each one swiftly.

"The burn, huh?" she said when she got it open, her eyes ironing over Moira's slim torso. "Tell me more about it."

Moira ran her hand over her hair trying to be subtle about the need to rid herself of the sweat that was pooling in her palm. Carefully she slid the shirt off her shoulders enjoying the twinkle that sparked in Angela's eyes as she did. Angela's hands were warm again her stomach as she let them slide over her skin. Moira placed her hands on Angela's cheeks and brought her eyes up to meet her own. Her voice was low as she said, "The feel of a nagging pain that seems unbearable upon impact, but eventually you grow to crave it."

A sharp gasp escaped Moira's lips as she felt nails dig into her back. "Like this?" Angela asked with the slightest curve of her lips.

Moira chuckled softly to herself before she began tearing at Angela's clothes, first the blazer then the blouse not wasting the time to undo the buttons like Angela had. Instead she watched them pop off as she split the fabric apart. Angela's bra was next, popped with two quick fingers before tender nipples found a home between Moira's sharp teeth. Angela wrapped her arms around Moira's shoulders for balance as she groaned at the contact. Moira's bites were not gentle and she could tell by the way Angela's body twitched that she felt the pain. But before it became too much Moira used her tongue to sooth the soreness and calm the doctor in her grasp. She repeated this cycle several times before finally pulling away and grinning at her. "More like that."

Angela's face was flush but she managed a smile as she removed her glasses and slid her skirt around her waist. The underwear came next, nothing fancy, frilly or even that nice, but somehow still managed to look sexy on her frame. They came down slowly, deliberately, Angela's eyes locked on her the entire time. Moira grabbed the whiskey, took another swing as she watched the doctor finish undressing and head to the office. She soon followed, slipping her pants and underwear off as she went. When they reached the office, Angela eased back onto the bed, her arms thrown above her head, legs spread to welcome the geneticist. Moira took another long gulp of the brown liquor enjoying how it was beginning to numb her tongue. She then went to Angela, found a home between her with two dedicated fingers and an eager tongue as her tools. Her name slid so effortlessly off Angela's tongue and motivated her to maintain the momentum until she felt the doctor's arms wrap around her as she began to shiver underneath her.

Moira held her until she began to relax against her and her breathing slowed to some semblance of a normal pace. Moira rolled off the doctor and pulled her to her so that her head was resting against the reddened flesh of her chest. For a moment neither said a word. Moira walked her fingers up and down Angela's shoulder and drew shapes in the thin sheen of sweat that covered it. She placed a small kiss on the doctor's forehead then said, "I'd like this to happen more often."

Angela giggled into her chest. "I'm sure you would."

"No, I don't just mean the sex. I mean this, lying here with you."

Angela looked up at her with conflicted eyes. Moira could've guessed what she was thinking. The doctor didn't trust her and she had every reason not to. But that wasn't going to stop her from winning her over, not if she could help it. "We could be great together, Angela, if you'd just give us a try."

Angela leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on Moira's cheeks then ran her fingers through Moira's disheveled hair. "Consider this your probationary period. We'll see what happens from here."

Moira's eyes widened at the words. She wrapped her arms tightly around Angela enjoying the warmth of her skin against her own. "I won't let you down," she whispered.

"That remains to be seen."

The next two months Moira did well during her probationary period. She often shared her research with Angela in her office during the late hours of the night when most of the staff had gone home. She knew Angela had a habit of sleeping in her office when her work caused her to stay too late, so Moira brought a blanket and a pillow to keep in her office and picked up the habit as well. The pair often spoke over lull lights, spiked tea, and takeout. Angela had new tech she was working on as well. Moira was intrigued and offered to help but respected when the doctor insisted she do it alone. Moira continued to work on her implant. Of course, she'd also been looking into using it as a weapon off the record at the encouragement of Gabriel Reyes, but this part she made sure not tell Angela. After all it was classified Blackwatch information. She wasn't allowed to tell even if she wanted to. 

She often enjoyed these evenings together, even looked forward to them, but there was one thing that bothered her. Angela wasn't a person who was tied to simple electronics such as laptops, datapads, or phones unless it was work related, but that had changed. Her cell phone often buzzed in the middle or their talks emitting a nagging blue LED that often begged for her attention. Angela never made it more than ten minutes without checking it and typing out a quick reply. The first few weeks Moira ignored it hoping it would go away, but eventually it began to bother her so much that she had no choice but to comment.

"It appears that someone desires your attention as much as I do," she'd said after her phone buzzed two quick times.

Angela glanced quickly at the phone then smiled guiltily at Moira. "A friend of mine."

Moira raised a brow. "Oh?"

Angela waved her off. "Not that kind of friend. She's married."

Moira released a contemptuous chuckle. "You say that as if it means something."

Angela's eyes narrowed at that. She grabbed her phone and tucked it inside a drawer in her desk. "It does."

The phone stopped being a problem after that, but Moira never forgot about it. 

When they weren't being interrupted by Angela's phone, she and Angela touched on more personal topics such as family which had often been a sore spot for Angela. One night while slurping lo mein off a fork (Moira couldn't seem to master the art of chopsticks no matter how hard she tried), she listened as Angela brought up her father and how he probably would've disapproved of the meal.

"You call that food? You've got to take better care of yourself, Angela. You only get one life you know." Angela's face lit up as she imitated her father's voice and his parental finger pointed at her face. But as quickly as that light had come on it immediately died down. Moira put down her plate and inched over to the doctor. They were seated on the tile floor of Angela's office between her large cherry wood desk and the chaise she had across the room for visitors. Blankets were spread out and the lights were low as Angela preferred softer light during the late hours of the night.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Angela swallowed hard as she looked down twirling her thumbs as she did. "War does more damage than good. There are always casualties, innocent casualties. I understand that there is a need for soldiers and that sometimes fighting cannot be avoided, but I'd like to spend my time helping the innocent that get caught up in it all."

"Like your parents?"

Angela nodded. "My parents, my friends, there are so many people I've seen fall victim to the negative effects of war. It's why I was so opposed to your previous research."

Moira understood where Angela was coming from, she truly did, but at the same time there were some risks that she felt were worth taking, risks that people wouldn't be willing to take if they knew of them. So many discoveries and advancements would be left buried in the sand if sacrifices weren't made. She expressed this to Angela even pointing out the doctor's own experiments she'd performed on herself.

"You can't tell me you've never taken risks in your work."

Angela shook her head emphatically. "That's different. I know the risks and I am okay with them. I fully understand the possible consequences and am always ready to face them. That is not true for everyone and they shouldn't have to if they don't want to."

Moira's brows wrinkled. "There comes a time when people have to step up. It's for the greater good of humanity."

"But is it? What you and I know, what we understand, it allows us to do things and make sacrifices that others won't. It also allows us to do for them what others cannot."

Moira put down her noodles and rested her chin on top of her right fist. She decided it might be better to refocus the conversation a tad. "So, you think it's your responsibility to save the world?"

Angela waved her off. "Of course not. But to help those in need, well why not? I see nothing wrong with that." 

There was an energy that radiated off the doctor as she said this that made Moira draw closer to her. She slid over to Angela and kneeled down in front of her. Angela leaned into her, giving her her undivided attention. Barely above a whisper she said, "I admire you."

Angela sucked her bottom lip and grabbed Moira's face in her palms. "Why is that?"

"Because you're willing to take on responsibilities that most wouldn't. It's admirable and one of the reasons I'm so fond of you." It wasn't a lie. Though Moira herself had little interest in saving the world she was pleased to know that there were people out there like Angela who did, people who were a little better than she. There was something about Angela's selflessness that was making her more of a necessity in her life. It felt good yet also intimidating. Moira was not a person who needed others, but the more time she spent with the young doctor, the more she felt herself looking for her, wanting her, needing her around.

She touched her forehead to Angela's and grabbed her hands in her own. "I'm glad I have you, Dr. Ziegler," she said before bringing her hands up to her lips and planting a gentle kiss.

Angela's cheeks flushed red as she locked eyes with Moira. "As I you, Dr. O'Deorain."

In the few weeks that passed Moira had made up her mind. She was not interested in casually dating Angela anymore, she needed more. It was strange to think about as she couldn't remember the last time she was able to commit to anything outside of her work. But she was ready to make that change. It was time to let Angela know exactly how she felt. She was in her office contemplating just how to ask Angela when her assistant came bursting in, panic all over his face. Moira immediately stood, startled by the intrusion.

"Dr. O'Deorain, you're needed in the med bay. There appears to be a problem with one of your...subjects."

Moira raised a brow. "Subjects?"

"The implant."

Moira felt a deep feeling of dread. Not this, not now. It had been nearly three months since she'd put the shield to use and other than reports of minor headaches, dizziness, and subtle spikes in blood pressure she hadn't had a reason to worry that anything had gone wrong. But the risk, she knew of possible risks. This information however was not disclosed to the participants as she felt knowing this would keep them from participating in her study. She also thought that she had eliminated the dangers.  

Quickly she followed the assistant to the med bay as he caught her up on what was happening. One of subjects had been in battle earlier that day. However, after the battle his squadmates had noticed he seemed a bit out of it. They considered it was from over exertion but then the subject began to seize before passing out entirely. He'd been brought in on a ventilator three hours ago. "Dr. Ziegler thinks the shield may have caused his nervous system to short circuit. They're reporting zero brain activity."

Moira stopped in her track. "Dr. Ziegler?"

Her assistant nodded. "She requested to assist on the case."

Moira shook her head. This wasn't good. How much did Angela know? "Three hours and no one informed me?"

The assistant shrugged.

Moira growled and began walking again until she was right outside of the subject's room. Angela walked out just as she was about to open the door. Her eyes softened when they met Moira. She looked off to a corner and motioned for her to follow. "The implant is disrupted the electrical flow of his nervous system. Too much going on at once. Looks like it has fried parts of his brain. With the damage I'm seeing it's not likely he will recover."

Moira sighed deeply. "I can't believe this." It was partially true. This sort of thing she had predicted, but not after three months of things going well.

Angela swallowed hard before continuing. "There are others, Moira, two more who have had similar but less severe side effects. One has been having issues with motor functioning, the other has experienced trouble with autonomic functioning. We need to remove the implants."

A deep frown etched on Moira's face. "Now wait, let me examine them. I can figure out what the problem is and correct it with the need for—"

Angela put her hand up, interrupting her. "I hate to ask this, but I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't: did you know this was a possibility?"

Moira looked towards her subject's door. A woman and a young girl were standing outside speaking with a nurse. The woman clenched the child's hand extra tightly as she processed what was being told to her.

"Moira?" Angela gave her a pleading look almost as if she was afraid to hear the answer.

Moira parted her lips to speak when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a stoic faced Gabriel Reyes. "My office, now."

Moira quickly excused herself and followed Reyes to a nearby elevator. They stood on opposite side, neither saying a word as they rode up to the sixth floor where Reyes' office was. Reyes led the way a couple more feet before coming to a cherry wood door with his name printed on the front. It creaked as it opened slowly to the dark space within. Moira stood in front of Reyes' desk. For a moment he sat, but when he realized she wasn't going to he stood back up. With his arms over his chest he said, "You told me this wouldn't be a problem."

Moira shook her head. "Low risk is what I said. Twenty percent."

Reyes narrowed his eyes. "But you didn't tell them that. I looked over the paperwork you had them sign. In no part did you mention nervous system complications!"

"I believed I had eliminated that risk. I saw no signs of it being a concern. Three months they went without any major issues, and even so, of the control group only three have displayed complications, three of thirty. That's only ten percent, so technically this is going better than I expected."

Reyes shook his head. "You try telling that to the families. It's not about numbers with them, O'Deorain. Not to mention you're my responsibility. You're under  _my_  command which means I have to answer for the shit that you pull."

Moira sighed. "I will look into this, continue to perfect it, find out where tweaks need to be made. With the information from these subjects I can improve it."

Reyes rubbed his temples and groaned. "I'm not sure they will continue to fund this project for you to do that, Moira."

A bewildered look spread across Moira's face. "You can't be serious. They'll cut funding over this? A minor hiccup?"

"The man is brain dead, Moira."

"He's one man. How many men do we lose in the field every day? This technology could drastically reduce that number. I just need time to fix it and—"

Reyes softened his voice. "Listen, I'm not saying I don't believe in what you're doing. I'm just letting you know what we're looking at. You need to be prepared for that."

Moira scoffed. She couldn't believe this. They were completely ignoring the benefits of her work, like the twenty-seven other subjects who weren't experiencing any issues and were exceeding expectations in terms of performance. Didn't they matter?

"You're dismissed," Reyes said as he took a seat at his desk.

"You can't let them kill this," she said before heading out of the office, her mind swimming with the possibilities of what would follow.

Moira never did get the chance to ask Angela her question. She spent the next week attempting to balance out the energy needed to activate the shield in order to minimize risks to the nervous system. However, in trying to discover this two more subjects reportedly experienced similar problems as the first three, with one meeting his end in the middle of a mission. Immediately after this death it also came out that these problems were not only predicted by Moira but purposely withheld from the participants. Didn't take long before the news reached Angela who began to avoid Moira at all costs. Calls and texts were ignored. Moira couldn't even get close to Angela's office without her assistant informing her that the doctor was either with a patient, out to lunch or in a meeting. If it was too late in the evening Angela simply locked herself in her office refusing to answer the door no matter how long Moira leaning against it begging her to do so. 

She'd nearly given up when she walked into her office one morning to find a small note on her desk. 

_I am ready to speak with you now._

_-A_

Moira stared at the note for a long while ignoring the beeps coming from her datapad and computer alerting of incoming messages. She chewed on her bottom lip and pondered whether or not she should go to the doctor immediately or make her wait as she had waited. Of course, testing her limits would not be wise, not when she was on her last leg with the doctor. No, she needed to see her immediately before Angela changed her mind. Slowly Moira strolled to the nearest elevator trying to formulate how she would frame the narrative. She could say that she discovered the risks of the implant only after it had been installed into the subjects. But Angela would never believe that. She knew how thorough she was. It was something they had in common. She could focus on the numbers. Only 16% of subjects were affected and with the modifications she'd been working on she had no doubt that she could lower that number.

Numbers. Numbers. Reyes' words began to form in her head.  _It's not all about the numbers,_ _O'Deorain_. She sighed as she stepped off the elevator and began approaching Angela's door. It would be better to focus on solutions. She'd improved the implant, made it safer and would continue to work on it. That was what mattered and that's what she'd tell Angela.

When she got to her office her assistant immediately stood without greeting her and knocked softly on the door. When answered she poked her head in for a quick moment then glanced at Moira. "You may enter."

Moira brushed past her, her hands clasped tightly behind her back as she did so. The assistant closed the door quietly behind her. Angela did not look up from her computer at Moira. Instead she gestured at the two empty lounge chairs in front of her desk. Moira took a seat in the one directly in front of Angela, resting her arms on those of the chair. She sat quietly as Angela pecked away on her keyboard, eyes trained intently on her screen. Her blond hair was put up in a ponytail, several strands free and along her slim face. Her blue eyes looked relaxed as if she'd actually been getting some sleep. That was different, Moira thought to herself. If she was sleeping then she was spending less time thinking about this catastrophe of a situation. She wasn't sure if that was good or not.

Finally, after nearly five minutes of stone cold silence Angela's fingers came to an abrupt stop and she allowed her eyes to float over to Moira. Her face was stern, unreadable.

"I saw your files," Angela said in a calm voice. 

Moira's eyes narrowed. Her notes were not easy to get to. If Angela got to her notes she'd had to snuck and done so specifically looking for something wrong. Then she remembered a week ago her assistant had informed her that Angela had gone in her office looking for a mug she'd left in there. She'd thought nothing of it as Angela had indeed left a mug there. A low growl rested in her throat. "You went through my things."

Angela ignored her. "You were well aware of the risks of your implant. What happened to those men, it was no shock to you. You even expected it." She leaned forward with her hands clasped, her eyes narrowing as she said, "You lied to me."

Moira sighed. "Angela I—"

Angela put her hand up to stop her before she could continue. "I admire your work,  _doctor_. I think you're extremely talented and I have no doubt in my mind that you will make some incredible breakthroughs in the future, but I cannot and will not condone your methods. The fact that you could do that to someone and feel absolutely nothing about it—"

"If you would just let me speak--"

"I'm done listening to your lies, Moira!" 

Moira's breath caught in her through at the thunder of Angela's voice. She didn't think she'd ever heard her so much as raise her voice before, so to have her yell at her, she was at a loss of words. Angela took a deep breath before continuing.

"We are colleagues, there's nothing I can do about that. But as far as anything else...I cannot involve myself with someone who constantly lies to me."

Moira nodded and leaned forward feeling slight panic in her chest. "Angela, I understand why you're upset and I completely agree. It's why I've been working to fix this problem."

"That's great, Moira. I hope you can at least do that. But as far as you and I, I believe it is best if we keep our relationship strictly professional." 

Moira repeated the words in her head. Was this really happening? Had she actually lost her? She reached across the desk to grab Angela's hand but Angela pulled it away. "You can leave now," she said coolly.

The panic increased. She felt her heart rate rise and her skin heat up. "Angela."

Angela stood and went to the door. Moira rose slowly taking slow steps towards her. She didn't stop until she had Angela pinned against the door with her body, her right hand resting on her shoulder. In a low tone she said, "Let's not be hasty." She could feel Angela's shallow breaths on her cheek. It was as if she was struggling to breathe, struggling to hide...fear? Was she afraid of her? Moira's hand slid from her shoulder and rested on her neck, her nails combing over her skin. "I understand that you're upset with me. You have every reason to be, but please, reconsider."

Angela looked down at her hand which was beginning to grip her neck then up at Moira's eyes, the red then the blue. "You need to leave," she said quietly.

Moira went to speak when a hard knock sounded at the door followed by her assistant's voice. "Dr. Ziegler, Mr. And Mrs. LaCroix are here to see you."

Moira raised a brow as Angela stared her down as if to challenge her to not move. She took a step back, releasing the doctor. Angela ran her hand over the spot on her neck where Moira had had her, took several deep breaths then opened the door. 

Gérard's voice flowed in deep and smooth as he said, "Angela, I hope you don't mind us dropping by. Amélie insisted that I bring her by before I--" He stopped when he noticed Moira behind her. "Dr. O'Deorain, here you are. Commander Reyes has been trying to find you." He stepped aside to reveal a tall stunning dark haired woman with plump blood red lips and the most alluring pair of hazel eyes Moira had ever seen. It was as if every sunset she'd ever seen was planted in her irises. They burned a deep hole into Moira before softening upon landing on Angela. "Amélie, this is Dr. Moira O'Deorain, our geneticist. Doctor, this is my wife."

Moira looked from Amélie to Angela who was staring down at the ground and rubbing her neck. A contemptuous smirk appeared on Moira face. "So, this is your married friend?"

Amélie's eyes narrowed at her. Moira's smirked widened. Angela didn't look up from her spot on the floor. Gérard broke the tension by saying, "You're wanted for a meeting, doctor. Shall I escort you?" 

Many thoughts crossed Moira's mind. The friend that kept interrupting their evenings, here she was, gorgeous as the tension was thick. She eased over to Angela almost as if she was planning to guard her from Moira. She gritted her teeth, but there was no time for this now. Instead she turned her grin to Gérard and held out her arm for him to grab. "Shall we?" she said with one more glance over her shoulder.

Gérard hesitated before grabbed her arm, letting his wife know that he'd be back by before he shipped off, then cautiously led her out of the office.

The meeting was overdramatic by Moira's standards. What they told her could've been said through an email. Winston, Amari, Reyes, and Morrison sat near the head of a long meeting table while she sat at the end. Amari and Morrison already had their minds made up before they ever spoke a word. Her tech had been too dangerous and the risks she'd taken had been over the line. The implants were being removed and the project shut down. She was to only work on Overwatch sanctioned projects, nothing else. Reyes fought for her. Morrison fought just as hard to shut her down. Amari and Winston were the mediators arguing that though Moira's tech sounded good in theory, it was just not a risk they could afford at the moment. Moira said nothing as they debated her work. Instead her mind rested on the dark-haired woman and the way that her eyes had landed on Angela when she walked into the room. She thought of her words to Angela when the late night texts had been a problem. 

_She's married,_ Angela had said.

_You say that as if it means something._

_It does._

That gaze, the way her eyes softened for Angela and how deeply they burned into Moira. Angela had been wrong. Married; it simply was a status, a title, nothing more. But that gaze, it had meant everything in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bring on the Mercymaker! 
> 
> Chapter 2 starts about three months BEFORE the start of chapter 1.

The brisk London air was chilly as it nipped at the nape of Angela's neck through her scarf. She held a small mug between her hands as she sipped hibiscus herbal tea, enjoying the warmth that tickled the roof of her mouth and the edge of her throat. She'd decided to go out for lunch today as she was growing tired of the scenery of her office or at least that was what she'd told her assistant when she grabbed her bag and coat and headed out. The truth was she needed a place to escape the looping thoughts of the red-haired geneticist who insisted on taking over her brain. It didn't help that said geneticist insisted on coming by her office for "assistance" asking the most menial of questions simply to occupy her space. It was mentally exhausting. 

Angela had made the decision a month early to cut all romantic ties with Dr. Moira O'Deorain after discovering just how far she was willing to go for the sake of research. The lack of ethics and morals was something she simply could not ignore, but that didn't stop her from desiring her. It didn't help that she'd already made the mistake of sleeping with her twice, both times occurring after deciding on a bottle of Appenzeller Alpenbitter to clear her mind. All it had done was steal her better judgement and leave her with the bitter feeling of regret and shame the next morning. The night prior had been the second time.

Angela did her best to push away flashbacks of Moira's slender fingers in the most intimate crevices of her body when she heard her name being called from afar. A deep groan escaped her throat. She'd purposely gone several miles away from headquarters in hopes of not running into anyone she knew and yet someone had still managed to track her down. However, when she looked around she didn't see a face she recognized, at least not immediately. She saw the long arm waving her down first. She followed it down to strong slender shoulders, a regal neck like that of a swan, on up to a thin pointy chin, cherry red lips, small nose, and hazel eyes that looked like droplets of fresh hazelnut syrup. The lips spread into a wide smile and exposed a perfect set of teeth. Angela's breath hitched in her throat as the woman made her way towards her.

"Dr. Ziegler! I hope I'm not bothering you. I'm not even sure if you remember me, but I'm—"

"Amélie Lacroix," Angela said standing as if the woman was royalty. 

Amélie nodded. "That's a relief. I know we've only met a couple times, but I saw you sitting here and thought I should speak."

It was true, Angela had only met Amélie two times, but they were enough to burn her image into her brain. The first time had been in passing in the hallway of headquarters. She'd seen Gérard first and was planning to speak without stopping as he was often long winded when she noticed the woman standing next to him. She'd been wearing a black peacoat, black jeans that accentuated her hips and simple black heels. Her hair had been down past her shoulders coming to the mid of her back. Angela had stopped without thinking and held out her hand for introduction. Later that night she sat in her apartment wondering how the hell Gérard had gotten lucky enough to land her.

The second time had been at a fundraiser. They'd talked for about five minutes, long enough for Angela to learn she was a professional dancer, traveled often, even more often than Gérard and he wasn't exactly pleased about it. Before she could inquire about any of this information however, she was called off to another conversation and wasn't able to speak with the woman again. That night she found herself dreaming of her dancing privately for her, but it had never happened again.

Now she found herself wondering what she'd take away from this encounter as the woman grabbed her by her shoulders and planted to kisses on either of her cheeks. The scent of her perfume was intoxicating. She wouldn't have minded inhaling it all day. "What brings you to this area?" Angela asked.

Amélie pointed behind her in the distance. "Dance studio around the corner."

Angela nodded. "Audition?"

Amélie's smile wavered a tad before she shook her head. "Interview."

Angela's brows crinkled a bit. 

"I figured if I'm going to be living here I may as well find a way to pass my time. Teaching young girls to dance seems like a suitable way to do so."

"Living here? You live in London?"

Amélie nodded then looked at the chair next to Angela's. "Do you mind if I sit?"

Angela gestured to the seat. "Please."

Amélie sat and explained that she'd been living in London for about a month and a half at Gérard's urging. He wanted her to be more available and closer. That required to her leave the company she'd been traveling with and from the way her eyes dimmed when mentioning it, Angela could tell it wasn't an easy choice to make. She wanted to offer some support but was unsure of what to say to make it any better. Luckily, she was interrupted by the waiter who inquired about Amélie's order. She thought only for a moment before requesting the same tea as Angela.

"I hope that it will be good," she said with a small smile.

Angela smiled back. "I think you will enjoy it."

The conversation then shifted to London in general. Amélie was having a difficult time adjusting to a new city. She described it as nice to visit but let her words trail off when speaking of living there. It was incredibly lonely as she described it. Most of her friends were touring with the company leaving her with no one to talk to when Gérard was away. And even when he was around there were some things she simply didn't want to discuss with him.

Angela contemplated this as the waiter brought Amélie her tea. She took a quick evaluative sip, pressing her lips together as she did before giving Angela another smile. "This is good."

Angela nodded feeling proud of her choice of drink. "I'm glad you approve." She watched Amélie sip the tea careful to avoid making slurping noises. It made Angela painfully aware that she had done so earlier. She wondered if Amélie had noticed.

"So, tell me, doctor, what brings you out of the office?" Amélie said after putting her tea down.

Angela sat back in her chair and thought about how to answer. She had no intention of sharing the details of her relationship or rather lack thereof with Moira. "Fresh air," was the answer she settled on.

"Ah," Amélie nodded. "Must get stuffy in that office all day."

Angela smiled. "At times."

"Well at least you have somewhere to be, people to see."

Angela watched again as Amélie took another sip of her tea. There was a sadness in her voice that she wanted to cure. After all, she understood what it was like to be lonely in a new city. "You know, I've been having more free time lately. Maybe if you're up for it one day I could show you around." She cringed at the sound of her own voice. To assumed that Amélie wanted to spend her time with her.

"Could you? I'd like that."

Angela felt a quick palpitation in her chest and paused. What was that? She quickly dismissed it and smiled. "Then consider it a plan."

The tour took place two and a half weeks later. It had been a rough day for Angela. Moira was around way too much tempting her with knowing glances. It made it difficult to focus on her work and caused her to constantly curse herself for ever getting involved with a colleague. Her plan had been to go home and sulk with another bottle of Appenzeller Alpenbitter when her phone buzzed in the pocket of her medical jacket. She held her breath in her cheeks when she saw the message.

_I got the job! Perhaps you could_

_take me on that tour to help celebrate._

Angela was in the middle of the hallway several feet from her office when she read the message. Several agents shuffled by her, some commenting about her being in the way before she finally tore her eyes from the screen and thought about a response. For the most part she was done for the evening. There were no emergencies calling for her attention, no pressing issues requiring her to stay. She also knew Gérard was away on a mission and didn't want to leave Amélie to celebrate alone. But she was also not very knowledgeable about the city of London. Sure, she lived there but she spent more time at headquarters than anywhere else. But she couldn't tell Amélie that, not after she'd told her she'd take her out. So, Angela decided to look up some information desperate for anywhere Amélie might want to go especially so late in the evening. It was nearly nine at night. She decided on a restaurant she'd visited on a couple occasions. She knew that they served French cuisine and hoped Amélie would approve. After that she figured they could take a bus ride to help them explore.

By the time she'd gotten a cab and made it to the Lacroix home she'd decided her idea had been horrible but it was too late to change it. So she tried to run it through her head, make it sound great and exciting, but she soon knew she failed when Amélie echoed, "So we're going to eat and ride a bus?"

Angela paused taking in the raven-haired woman in front of her. Her hair was put back in a low ponytail that hung nearly to her bottom. It didn't look like she had even one split end. She was wearing red pants that nearly looked painted on, a black shirt, jacket, and heels. It was casual but still made Angela feel extremely under dressed in her plain jeans that did little for her body and t-shirt, and simple dress shoes. She twirled her thumb as she tried to avoid Amélie's piercing eyes. "I know it's not as exciting as I originally made it sound."

But Amélie simply scoffed and chuckled. "I spend most of my day staring at the same walls or a television screen. This is just fine."

In the back of the cab Amélie's perfume was making her dizzy and she liked it. She listened as Amélie spoke of her new position. She was to work with young girls between the ages of five and ten on all types of dance from ballroom, classical, hip-hop, and ballet. It was daunting as her specialty was ballet, but she was also open to trying different styles. Angela listened not so much to her words but to the cadence of her voice and the different tones that it took. It had a musicality to it as did her body language. It was captivating.

They got to the restaurant thirty minutes later. Angela had called ahead so they were able to be seated immediately to Amélie's delight. The restaurant wasn't too fancy but it wasn't too low end either. A variety of people occupied the building allowing the pair to fit in nicely with their casual gear.  Angela expected Amélie to order wine. She settled on sweet green tea. She also expected her to order the Frenchest thing on the menu,  _c_ _onfit de canard_.She ordered a grilled chicken Caesar salad. Angela looked at her with a raised brow after her meal was brought out which seemed to amuse Amélie. "You didn't really expect me to be a stereotype, did you?" she asked with a small chuckle. Angela felt her cheeks warm. Of course she did. How dense of her.

The meal went fast, but they lingered until closing with Angela glued to her seat soaking up Amélie's words. She told stories of her past travels with her former dance company, the places she'd seen. Different city every night, sometimes more than one in a day. And the crowd, looking out and seeing how captivated they were by her. Angela wondered if it was anything like her face at moment, staring at her like she was meteor spectacle that only occurred once in a lifetime. Touring had enriched her life in so many ways. It helped her to experience so many different cultures, to see so many different places. Touring was how she'd met Gérard.

"Do you miss it?" Angela asked leaning forward with her hands clasped in front of her.

Amélie looked away, her eyes skimming the room which was becoming barer by the minute. "Between us, I wish I'd never left."

There was that dimming of light in her eyes again. Without thinking Angela reached across the table and placed her hand on Amélie's. Amélie looked at it then back at Angela. Her hand remained still. Angela felt hers begin to clam up and cursed it in her head. "Maybe this new position will help with that."

Amélie shrugged. "It hasn't yet."

"Yet?"

Amélie smiled coyly. "I started the day after I saw you last."

Angela's eyes narrowed. "I was under the impression you'd just found out."

"I needed a reason to get you to come out. I was afraid if my reason wasn't big enough you'd say you were too busy."

Angela considered it. She wasn't wrong. It was very possible that she would've declined if she hadn't thought that Amélie needed someone to celebrate with, particularly with how she was feeling. But now she was glad she had agreed to come out. A smile returned to her lips. "Maybe if we spoke more you wouldn't feel the need to lie to get my attention."

"Are you saying you'd like me to call more, doctor?" There was that chuckle again like a delicate melody played on the piano.

Angela looked down at her empty plate. "If you'd like."

Amélie put her free hand on Angela's sandwiching it between both of hers. "Then I will," she said with a grin that sent shivers down Angela's spine.

And she did. After their dinner Amélie and Angela began to speak every day often by text when Angela was in the office and by phone when she had some down time. The ritual was so important that it was understood whoever was the last to text at night was the first to receive a message the next day. Neither missed responding even with overwhelming schedules. Amélie began to get busy with her new job. She was often choreographing performances for her girls and was even beginning to enjoy the new position. Sometimes she recorded herself performing and would send the footage to Angela for feedback. They all looked great to her no matter what Amélie described as the problem and she was sure to tell her so. 

They also made it a point to meet up at least twice a month at the small café where they first became really acquainted. Angela was dedicated to her tea but Amélie was much more adventurous and tried something new every time. If she didn't like it she'd politely push it to the side and give Angela a knowing look. "Can I have some of yours?" she'd asked and Angela would slide it to her knowing she'd finish it all before ordering another. The café was an opportunity for Amélie to vent about things that were much too complex to type out through text or things that could not be disclosed over the phone due to potential listening ears such as marital discord.

"Why do people get married, Angela?" Amélie asked her one day while stirring a cup of orange tea. Her head was propped in her left hand as she twirled her spoon in the cup.

Angela gave her a confused look. "I'm probably the wrong person to ask."

" _Non_. I think people who have never been married know something that we foolish enough to do so don’t. It's why they avoid it."

Angela shook her head. "Or we just haven't been lucky enough to find anyone worth such a commitment."

"Lucky," Amélie hissed then eyed Angela's tea. Angela took a slow sip then slid it across the table. Amélie smiled appreciatively before taking a sip herself. "I think I was happier before marriage."

"Why's that?"

Amélie stared intently into the cup of tea before answering. "Less expectation. Less disappointment."

An uncomfortable silence rested between them before Amélie elaborated. She'd been a dance instructor for a nearly two months now and didn't hate it, but it didn't come close to filling the void left behind from her performing. She'd mentioned this to Gérard who insisted that she give the job a chance to grow on her. But Amélie had been in touch with her old company. Yes, they'd replaced her and her spot had been filled, but she was welcome to return and fill the spot of a supporting dancer, work her way back up. Angela's breath hitched in her throat as she mentioned this. There was something about Amélie being away that did not sit well with her, but she couldn't put her finger on why.

"He's never home so it wouldn't be that big of a change. I would still live here but I would be gone a lot more of course."

Angela swallowed hard. "He told you no?"

Amélie's eye narrowed. "I did not ask his  _permission_ , Angela. I asked his opinion. But yes," she waved her fingers in the air and took a sip of tea, "he was upset at the proposal. He wants me here, close to him, his work,  _his_  life."

Amélie's eyes softened as she looked at Angela. "You're the only thing I have here, Angela. Everything else I have is elsewhere.  _My_  life is elsewhere." More silence settled like dust as Angela felt warmth spreading across her chest. It reminded her of the first time Moira's leg had brushed against her thigh or feeling of her breath on her lips. Panic began to rise in her chest. Amélie was nothing like Moira, so why was she evoking similar feelings? Before she could ponder any further Amélie asked, "Have you ever loved someone who expected you to give up who you are for them?"

Moira immediately popped into Angela's brain. No, Moira hadn't asked her to give up her dream as she felt that Gérard had with Amélie, but she did expect her to ignore her morals, her values in favor of their romance and that was something she simply could not do. She saw her eyes, the red one hard and piercing, the blue one soft and comforting staring back at her before her face faded away and she was left with Amélie's scrutinizing gaze. "You thought of someone."

Angela looked away. She hadn't told Amélie about Moira. She'd finally gotten to the point where she wasn't internally falling apart whenever she saw the geneticist in the halls, but she was far from over her. Speaking about her only brought those feelings to the surface and she preferred to keep them deeply buried. But Amélie was persistent. "You never tell me these types of things, Angela. Please, do tell."

Angela rubbed her palms on her black pants. "It's not like your situation."

"Then tell me what it's like."

Angela twirled her thumbs and considered how to word her thoughts. "It's like having someone you care about do something bad, something you absolutely disagree with and being asked to look the other way."

"How bad do you mean?" Amélie leaned forward, her eyes locked on Angela's.

Angela chewed her bottom lip. "Really bad. But their intentions are good. Mostly. I...it's hard to explain."

"Hmm." Amélie drank more of Angela's tea. "Do you love him?"

Angela cringed at the word.  _Him_. She cleared her throat. "I'm not sure. But I'm fond of... _her_."

Amélie's eyes widened. "I apologize for using the incorrect pronoun."

Angela shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "No need. You didn't know."

Another coy smile came across Amélie's face. "I, well I wasn't sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Gérard mentioned that you had been seeing another doctor, a woman he's not entirely fond of. But you never mentioned it and I did not know how to bring it up."

Angela wasn't sure how to feel. Part of her was upset that Amélie felt the need to trick her to reveal such private information. After all they were friends, weren't they? She could've just asked. But then she considered just how little personal information she shared with anyone, not just Amélie. It made sense that Amélie would be unsure of how to approach the topic. For that reason, she decided to give her a pass. "Well, is there anything else you want to know?"

Excitement quickly spread across Amélie's face. It was as if she'd been waiting for this moment. "Are you still together?"

"No," Angela answered quickly. "We never really were."

"So, a casual thing?"

"No. Well...no."

"So you wanted more."

"Maybe. At one point. Before."

"But not now?"

Angela shook her head. "Not now."

"What kinds of bad things does she do?" With this question Amélie leaned so close that Angela could smell the tea on her breath.

"I cannot say."

"Really?"

"I'm sorry."

Amélie leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "Just like Gérard."

"It comes with the business we're in."

Amélie waved her off. "I suppose." She paused for a moment before asking, "So you're...homosexual?"

Angela faced grew warm. "You make it sound so dirty."

" _Non,_  I'm just asking if that is to the correct label." She then looked down at her ring finger and began to twist the ring on it. "I dated a woman."

That got Angela's undivided attention. She was now the one to lean forward. "Really?"

Amélie smiled but avoided eye contact. "Gérard doesn't know."

"Why not?"

"Because she was a part of the company I traveled with. I thought if he knew that he'd be uncomfortable with me traveling with them." Amélie shook her head and scoffed. "Guess it doesn't matter now."

"Did you love her?"

Amélie finally gazed into her eyes. "We were to be married. But then she went and messed it up. I met Gérard soon after."

For a moment they simply gazed at one another while a cool breeze lapped at their cheeks before Angela decided to fill the silence. "I never would've guessed."

Amélie shrugged. "It is not something I'm ashamed of, but I don't spread it around either."

"Don't ask, don't tell as my American friends would say."

Amélie nodded. "Yes, that seems to fit." She shifted in her chair as if trying to dispel unpleasant thoughts from her mind then she focused on Angela again. "Back to this doctor that you are... _were_  involved with."

Angela began to twirl her thumbs again. "Yes?"

"You're done with her?"

A deep sighed escaped her lips. Was she really done with Moira? She liked to think that she was but could she really say? Did she want her any less, think about her any less? "Yes, I am."

"Good. Doesn't sound like she was good for you. You deserve better." Amélie reached across the table placing her left hand on top of Angela's. Angela looked down at it, the perfectly manicured fingers, cut low with a clear coat of paint, perfectly round and even. She then looked at the diamond that sparkled on the ring finger. 

She hesitated before saying, "I could say the same about you."

Amélie's eyes flashed with a hint of...something. Angela couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Amélie's hand did not move. In fact, it seemed to cradle hers as she said, "Perhaps we both will get what we deserve in time."

Angela turned her palm upwards and returned the grip, her eyes on Amélie's the entire time. "Perhaps."

The air between Angela and Amélie began to change after that conversation. They began to spend more time together outside of their visits to the café. Angela also noticed that her mind was occupied less with thoughts of the geneticist and more with the ballerina. It was as if she literally danced through her mind both during waking hours and in her dreams. It didn't help that these dreams were often teetering on sexual in nature. One dream had been so vivid that she'd awaken from it with her hand planted firmly between her legs, the ballerina's name on the edge of her lips. It was all too much. It was just her luck, she thought, to start to get over one bad habit just to pick up another. 

It also didn't help that she was beginning to think this attraction was mutual. She tried to tell herself that it was all in her head but there was something about the way that Amélie had begun gazing at her that made her think otherwise. Not to mention she'd gotten more handsy. There was always a wayward finger that found its way on her cheek or neck, or even once on her lips when Amélie jokingly silenced her. Her hugs had also grown longer, lasting whole seconds opposed to just one as she pressed her body against Angela's. But Angela wasn't going to confront her. After all, what was she supposed to do if Amélie confirmed her suspicions? 

Angela shook the thoughts away and tried to focus on the person on the stage in front of her. The other stressor in her life, Moira O'Deorain. She'd received an email earlier in the week informing her of a mandatory presentation that would take place in the auditorium. Through peers she'd learned a little of Moira's new project and found it impressive but gave it little thought outside of that. She'd tried to avoid anything that was related to Moira in any type of way unless it was absolutely necessary. But with them working together she knew that she couldn't avoid Moira entirely. There was only a matter of time before she was forced to face her.

She watched as Moira described the ins and out of this shield and how it would be effective in the field. Of course, Moira made it a point to focus in on her as soon as she spotted her in the crowd. Angela tried to evade the eye contact but Moira was persistent. It was as she was speaking directly to her the entire time. Angela shifted from in her seat before finally deciding to head to the back of the room. From what she heard Moira's shield sounded like a very useful resource to have in the field particularly since she was proposing working in the field herself. But she also kept in mind that this was Moira. There were always hidden agendas with Moira.

After Moira's presentation concluded she found herself in a small circle of her peers discussing the new tech. Angela was never one to not give credit where it was due, so she praised what she knew of the project. Of course, it was just her luck for Moira to walk up just as she was finishing her discussion. She stood dangerously close to her, her shoulder brushing against her own. She tried her best to ignore the chill that ran through her body and maintain a nonchalant demeanor. She felt Moira's eyes iron over her as Moira described her intended uses for the shield and how she expected it to help their team as a whole. Angela said not a word until their colleagues had politely dispersed leaving them alone.

"I'm impressed," she'd said softly, but maintaining a blank face.

She noticed a confident smile spread across Moira's. "Oh? Didn't think I could produce something like this?"

Angela waved her off. "Of course you could. But for you to do so...I am told that all of your participants signed informed consent forms before participating in your study. It's an improvement."

There was an energy Moira was giving off that was causing Angela's skin to heat up. She willed herself to ignored it but was painfully aware that she was failing. 

 "I had you in mind when working on this project."

Angela raised a brow. "Is that so?"

Moira nodded. "With all of your talk of wanting to work in the field I figured there needed to be something more to protect you."

Bright red began to rise underneath Angela's cheeks especially as Moira grabbed her hand. "You know, I enjoy your company, Angela. I find my free time less satisfying when you're not occupying it."

Angela swallowed hard. This was what she'd been afraid off. Two months she'd done well with barely any contact outside of necessary business conversations, and here she was melting over the geneticist all over again. She contemplated her plans for the evening. She was supposed to meet Amélie for dinner. Amélie, her other problem. The married problem. She looked at Moira, the red eye tempting while the blue eye coaxed. Moira was dangerous sure, but with the way she'd been feeling she was starting to think she was the safer of the two options. Still, she couldn't ignore the reasons she'd put things off with Moira in the first place. "You did good here, Moira, but I'm still not sure if--"

Her protest was stolen by the pressing of two soft lips against her own. Angela's eyes fluttered involuntarily. Moira had her and she knew it. She made promises of understanding and reform. Angela didn't believe any of it, not entirely. But she couldn't deny that the production of this shield was a step in the right direction. She placed her hand on Moira's shoulder and rubbed gently. She decided against her better judgement to take the plunge. She'd spend her night with Moira and let the chips fall where they may. 

Angela didn't expect Amélie to be angry with her. Upset? Yes. Maybe even a little irritated, but the anger that was throw her way was completely unexpected. It had been nearly a week since Moira's presentation and much had changed. Angela had decided to give Moira another chance to prove her assumptions about her wrong, and though it was still very early, she had a good feeling about things moving forward. Amélie hadn't said much to her since she canceled on her last minute stating that work had gotten in the way. She'd never canceled on Amélie before so she wondered if she knew her reason was a lie. Still, she'd planned to make it up to her by showing up to her dance studio for a quick lunch before heading back to headquarters.

She found Amélie in an empty ballroom dancing to Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata". Her movements were smooth and deliberate, no step misplaced. Her eyes were closed as she glided across the floor, only cracking ever so slightly to peek down at her foot placement when she noticed Angela's reflection in the mirror. She stumbled, nearly falling but was able to catch herself. Angela gave a small wave and held up a large paper bag. Amélie rolled her eyes and continued her dance with her eyes wide open. Her movement became harsher, not as crisp as they'd previously been. "Look who has time for me now," she hissed in a breathy voice.

Angela swallowed hard and placed the bag on a stool in front of the room. "I knew you were upset with me," she said quietly. "I didn't plan to cancel that night I was—"

"Preoccupied? With your  _doctor_?" The last word came out in a low growl.

Angela's brows furrowed. "How'd you..." She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Gérard."

"Said you two left together that night. Lots of gossip at the office about you."

Angela swallowed hard. "You knew I lied."

"Of course I knew." Amélie stopped dancing and glared at her. "Friends don't lie to each other, Angela." She took several steps toward her causing Angela to take a few back. "You're involved again."

Angela looked down at her feet. "Yes."

Amélie shook her head. "You said she does bad things, bad things you cannot overlook. Your words. And yet you're involved again."

"I—"

"She doesn't seem good for you." Amélie took another step closer to Angela and this time she didn't move though she was strongly tempted to do so. She noticed the beads of sweat on Amélie's face, neck, and chest, watched as they became too heavy and slid down her skin. Her breath brushed against the bridge of her nose as she stared down at her. "But I know you will do what you feel is best for you." She put her hands on Angela's cheeks and gazed into her eyes. "I just hope the lying and canceling will not become a habit. I would hate to lose my best friend." 

Angela licked her lips, her eyes still locked on Amélie's. "It won't. I promise."

With a small smile Amélie placed a quick kiss on Angela's forehead before stepping away from her to inspect the food in the paper bag, leaving Angela gazing at herself through the mirrors with her heart beating through her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 was supposed to cover the backstory of mercymaker in its entirety, but I realized in writing this that that was going to be too much for one chapter. So chapter 3 will finish the backstory and bring to the story back up to present day where chapter 1 left off. As always kudos and comments are great and appreciated. And thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Moira's POV next chapter! Sorry about the delay. Meant to put this up the week before last but I ended up changing and adding a few things. As always thanks for reading, kudos, and comments! I know I'm late on responding to comments, but I really do appreciate ALL of them. Just haven't been on here as much this past month.

Keeping her promise to Amélie did not come easy for Angela but she gave it her all, in the beginning. Because she and Moira worked together she saw her more than she saw Amélie and talked to her more often as well. She tried to use her downtime to catch up with Amélie when things were not chaotic like the nights the med bay was overflowing with injured field operatives. But Moira took notice of the constant vibrations coming from her phone in the late hours. She never told Angela to stop responding but the look she gave her told her she should do so. Naturally the distance between the two began to grow. Angela cared sure, but what else could she do?

She reasoned that maybe it was supposed to be this way especially with the developing feelings she'd noticed herself having for Amélie. Those feelings were dulled a great deal when Moira was around. It was also easier to talk to Moira about work things without having to censor herself, like her growing eagerness to go out in the field with agents. They'd been in the med bay collaborating on treatment for an agent whose leg had gotten smashed underneath debris from a collapsed building. The recommended course of action was amputation, but Angela wasn't willing to give up so easily. "If I had been there I could've fixed him up sooner. He'd be walking right now. This is why I need to be in the field," she said as she examined his chart.

Moira chuckled softly as she leaned against the wall, her hands in the pocket of her lab coat. "Or you could've been trapped with him. Field work isn't all fun and games, Angela."

Angela rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child, Moira. I understand the risks." 

"Yet you still think it's a good idea to wander out in a battlefield with no weapon. I get it, you don't want to hurt people, but sometimes that can't be helped. It is literally kill or be killed out there. You have to take lives. That's just the way it goes."

Angela opened her mouth to retort when a bell went off in her head. She pointed to his chart with an eager finger. "Gather a team and get him prepped for surgery."

Moira raised a brow. "For the amputation?"   
Angela shook her head. "He's not losing his leg."

Moira walked over to her and examined the chart over her shoulder trying to figure out what she'd missed. After finding nothing she noted, "There's extreme muscle loss in the leg, poor blood flow. You run the risk of infection spreading if you move forward with this."

"If we act now I can rebuild some of the muscle tissue while it's still viable."   
Moira gave her a bewildered look. "Do you hear yourself?"

"Something I've been working on."

Moira brows arched critically. "Has this been tested?"

Angela knew what she was thinking. Pot calling the kettle black of course, but this situation was different she reasoned with herself. The results would be the same whether the surgery failed or wasn't performed at all. She wasn't causing any undo harm. "We can debate this later. Now I need you to get the team together."

Moira shook her head in disbelief but followed Angela's orders.

The surgery took the better part of nine hours to complete. Angela's team was small and select. She was very particular about who worked alongside her, but she did allow Moira to watch from behind the glass as she worked. She'd been a little uneasy about grabbing the small vial of nanobots to use on the leg. For the most part Moira had been right, the technology has been largely untested on other people. However, she had run some pretty extensive tests on herself. This was something she'd kept to herself. But she'd gotten it to the point where she felt confident in its unique repairing abilities, confident enough to take any and all reprimands if it were to fail, even termination of her position.

To her delight and the amazement of her team the bots had gone to work instantly repairing cells that were far too damaged for repair by conventional means. The repairs weren't perfect. The man would suffer some setbacks on his path to recovery but all in all the surgery was deemed a success. Afterwards she received many questions from many of her colleagues including Moira about her new tech. Initially she was very open, feeling a great deal of pride for being able to save the leg despite the repairs not being as flawless as she'd hoped. These were the type of conversations that were good to have with Moira because not only did she understand the concept but she was also genuinely interested. But the interest she showed also made her the slightest bit uneasy. Yes, Moira had been doing well and proving to be trustworthy during her probationary period, but that didn't mean that her past transgressions were suddenly erased. The pair was drinking coffee in headquarters cafeteria nearly an hour after scrubbing out when Angela said, "I'd rather not go into any more detail."

Moira raised a brow and leaned forward. "Scared I'll steal your work?" A smooth chuckle escaped her lips.

Angela gave a small smile and she fidgeted with her fingers. "It's just not fully developed yet. Feels like bad luck to speak about an unfinished project. I'm sure you understand. I don't remember you mentioning your shield before your presentation."

Moira took a gulp of her coffee. "That's because you weren't speaking to me during that time."

"I talked to you."

"As little as possible."

Angela giggled before conceding. "This is true."

Moira managed a small smile. "But if you need help I'm more than willing to lend a hand."

Angela shook her head. There were more test that needed to be run and she wasn't yet ready to share her methods with anyone else. "This is a solo project but thank you."

Moira didn't push the topic further though Angela could tell from the look on her face that she wanted to. 

The next time Angela and Moira spoke about their work it was in relation to Moira's shield. It was a late evening in Moira's office. They'd decided to switch between their offices as Moira had made a point of mentioning they were always in Angela's. The night had been a light one filled mostly with paperwork opposed to hands on situations. Moira had a white upholstered sofa in her office that had been there when she moved in. Angela remembered wanting it for her own office but deciding against it out of fear she'd stain the white fabric. The pair snuggled on the sofa, a thin blanket over them as a soothing moonlight washed over them from the large floor to ceiling windows. Angela rested with her head against Moira's chest enjoying the calm rise and fall. Softly she said, "Did you mean what you said about your shield?"

She felt Moira stir underneath her, probably trying to nudge the sleepiness away. "What do you mean?"

"You said that you made it with me in mind. Did you mean that?"

Moira paused for a long moment before saying, "Yes."

Angela released a deep sigh. "Do you think it would help me out in the field? Keep me safe?"

Moira sat up now, looking down at Angela with apprehensive eyes. "Ideally, yes, but there are other factors."

"Such as?"

Moira thought for a moment. "Combat training."

Angela nodded. "Jack and Gabriel have already mentioned that."

Now Moira was easing her off of her so that she could look her in the eye. "What are you talking about?"

Angela cleared her throat of the dryness that was taking over. "I'm going to begin training soon. To be a field medic. I've already began working on armor but I want to give myself the best shot, you know? With the success of your shield I was thinking—"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Moira said, cutting her off.

"Why not?"

Moira looked away. "I just, it worries me."

Angela understood Moira's concern. If she was completely honest with herself she was just as worried. But it was beginning for feel like something she needed to do, to do her part and to do what she had always set out to do, help people. She grabbed Moira's hands and gazed into her eyes. "I need to do this."

Moira's eyes narrowed, frustration bubbling behind them but she managed to subdue it with a deep sigh. "Must you be difficult, Angela?"

"It's not about being difficult. It's about—"

"Saving lives. I know. I get it," Moira said with a hint of irritation in her voice.

Angela paused, eyeing here critically. "Do you?"

A long paused settled between them before Moira started again. "You're so focused on helping those once it's gotten to the point where it's much too late. Why not help them before it gets to that point? Why not help them better themselves, defend themselves instead of trying to be their hero?"

Angela noted a deep bitterness in Moira's voice when she said this but she didn't say a word. She didn't want to interrupt Moira's next thought.

"My mother would've loved you, someone to swoop in and save the day. She was that type of person, always wanting to be helped and not doing enough to help herself."

Angela's breath hitched in her throat. She'd never heard Moira mention any family before. She wasn't sure if this was a display of trust or a desperate attempt to change her mind. But she listened all the same giving her undivided attention.

"You can't save everyone, Angela. There will be those that fall through the cracks. Those people need to be able to fend for themselves."

A tender hand went to Moira's cheek. "Was your mother one of those people?"

For the first time Angela saw vulnerability in Moira's eyes as they began to shimmer with dampness. But as quickly as it had appeared it was wiped away and the rawness that normally rested there returned. "My mother was career damsel in distress. But that's not what matters right now. I know you have a different view on how to best help those in need Angela but please, if you're going to insist on being out there, be careful."

Angela wanted to press Moira more but she decided it was best to let it go for now. Instead she gave Moira a small smile. "I'll do my best."

Moira sighed again before pulling Angela back into her chest and settling into the couch.  

It wouldn't be until a couple of weeks later that Angela would truly understand Moira's apprehension about her using the shield. The day was going simply enough. She'd been on her way to her office from the staff lounge when she ran into Gérard literally as he was walking through the door. There were tendrils of sweat raining from his forehead, his black training gear soaked through. He'd excused himself after running his hand through his wet hair and was about to move forward when he noticed it was Angela he'd run into.

"Dr. Ziegler!" He exclaimed with a genuine smile.

Angela quickly recovered from being flustered by the mild collision and focused on him. "Gérard, I'm sorry."

He waved her off. "My apologies." Angela gave him a meek smile and went to step around him when he said, "Amélie has been asking about you."

That caused her to stop in her tracks, but she did not turn around. "Oh? Um...how is she?"

"Adjusting finally." There was relief in his voice. "She's made some friends at the dance studio, has been getting out more."

Angela chewed on her bottom lip. She'd made friends. Was she replacing her? A heavy feeling filled her chest as she turned around. "That's, that's wonderful." Angela did her best to put on a genuine smile but she must've failed because Gérard put her his hand on her shoulder with a very sympathetic look in his eye.

"I told her you've been busy here and that I'm sure you'll reach out when you get the chance. " He then looked around and lowered his voice. "I'm not sure what happened between you two, but she misses your friendship dearly."

Angela's brows crinkled involuntarily. She didn't know how to respond. Quickly she excused herself and began a quick pace back to her office. As she walked she pulled her phone out of the pocket and pulled up Amélie's number. It had been about a week since they last spoke and even then the conversation was bare. A simple how are you and that's great to hear. Nothing to really note. She wondered if she should reach out now, try to arrange a lunch, some kind of contact to speak face to face about the distance between them. But would Amélie want to see with her? Did she really ask Gérard about her or was he simply being generous? Her thumb pulled up the keyboard and began to type. 

_I miss you. Would you mind if_ _we..._

She erased the message and began typing again.

_Been thinking about you. If you're up for it maybe..._

That wouldn't do either.

_Hi. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. I'd like to do lunch if you..._

A loud ring followed by an automated announcement interrupted the message. "All available medical personnel needed in the med bay." Angela cursed under her breath and made her way to the med bay. When she got there she found the lead doctor on duty examining an unconscious man on a gurney, his battered squad mates talking over one another desperately trying to relay what happened. Angela didn't catch it all but she did gather the essentials. The man had a seizure on the shuttle ride over and never regained consciousness. Angela stood in the background not wanting to step on any toes as the doctor examined him. No immediate causes seemed to account for the need of the ventilator. The man's pupils were also nonresponsive. Angela opened and closed her hands repeatedly, waited for the doctor to order an MRI. He did. He then looked behind him, looked at Angela then at the door before walking out. Angela quickly followed him.

"I'm here to assist," she said, trying to keep up with his quick pace.

"You know what did this, don't you?"

"I do not."

The doctor turned swiftly on his heels and glared at her. "That damned shield. He has the implant."

Angela swallowed hard. "Dr. O'Deorain's shield?"

"That one."

Angela popped the knuckles in her thumbs. "You can't be certain that's the cause. Let's see what the MRI says."

The doctor shook his head. "He's not the only one, Dr. Ziegler. Third this week actually, all with the implant."

Angela took deep breaths trying to calm the erratic beating of her heart. "You're sure?"

The doctor nodded. "Pretty certain."

A nurse stopped the doctors. "Should I alert Dr. O'Deorain?"

The doctor looked at Angela. She thought on it then shook her head. "That won't be necessary."

Th nurse nodded and walked off. Angela sighed deeply then looked at the doctor in front of her. "I'll look into it."

"You sure about that?"

A deep frown rested on her face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The doctor scoffed. "We all know you're involved."

Angela gritted her teeth, did her best to make her words respectful. "My personal and professional lives are mutually exclusive. I will look into it."

The doctor's face showed apprehension, but he nodded all the same before walking away.

"I hate to ask this, but I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't: did you know this was a possibility?" It had been over three hours since the man had been brought in and Angela had learned a lot in that time. For one she learned that the informed consent form that Moira had given the participants of her study left out some major details. The listed risks were very minor: headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle tension. However, from what had been report by the other men suffering from the implant the side effects had been much worse than that. One was experiencing interruptions with his motor functioning and speech and it all began after the implant was install and triggered for the first time. Angela desperately wanted to believe otherwise, that things were not as they were appearing to be. But she knew Moira. This was not out of her realm of deceit. 

She gazed deeply into Moira's eyes when she asked the question, hoping that Moira would not be able to lie directly to her face. If she were honest she told herself that she would try to hear her out, try to see her point of view and understand her reasoning. But before Moira could answer Reyes came by demanding her presence immediately. Moira trudged off quickly as if she were relieved to get away from the scrutiny of Angela's gaze. But that didn't stop Angela from digging. She immediately went to Moira's office, telling her assistant that she'd left a mug inside. Luckily for her she actually had left her mug there from several nights before. 

Moira was much too cautious of a person for digital files. The important things she had several paper copies of locked away in various locations. One happened to be the file cabinet in her office and Angela knew exactly where the key was. She went into Moira's work case, putting in the combination with shaky hands. " _People too often use significant days in their lives as passwords. Makes them too easy to figure out. I prefer a more random approach, like the eleventh day of my h_ _uman molecular genetics and disease course_ ," Angela remembered Moira telling her one evening. The case came open with a pop. Angela quickly sifted through it until she found a small silver key. She took deep breaths to try to calm her nerves. She knew it wasn't likely that Reyes would keep Moira for long and she didn't want to think of what she'd do if she caught her going through her things. She also wasn't paying enough attention to how she was placing things. She didn't want it to be obvious that she'd gone through her things, but her shaky hands made it difficult. 

She clenched the key in her hand and headed over to the cabinet. She wasn't sure which drawer the files would be in and she knew Moira had a lot of them. Part of her wanted to walk away. This was too much, plus there simply wasn't any time. But the team of the man in the med bay, the devastation on their faces. She had to try. It took her going through each drawer three times before she found the file she was looking for. She didn't have time to read through the entire thing, but through skimming she managed to find two very important documents: a list of side effects and potential uses. Among the list of side effects was complications to the nervous system which Moira noted had low probability of occurring. However, there was a way to manipulate the implant to alter certain nervous system functions even going as far as overriding the entire system making it ideal for later experimentation. According to the document the idea was pitched to Reyes and put on hold for later testing. 

A deep growl left Angela's throat as she felt her eyes begin to burn from the wetness sprouting in them. Had Moira been manipulating her patients? Was that man laid up in the med bay a result of continued unauthorized experimentation? And to think she'd been dumb enough to believe her when she said she was going to do better. She must've thought her a fool to believe her so easily. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and ran to the printer, made copies of the important documents. Then she quickly shoved the file back into place making sure to lock the cabinet and replace the key. Her actions had been so hasty that she almost forgot to grab the mug on her way out. 

The languid music of the pub had gotten muffled at some point between the fourth and fifth shot, around the same time the lights began to coalesce and Angela's balance began to wane. She hadn't planned to stop off after work, not with her Alpenbitter sitting on the kitchen counter of her apartment waiting for her. But upon leaving headquarters she'd been forced by the bitter cold breeze whipping at her skin into the warmth of a nearby safe haven that just happened to be a pub. One drink was all she'd planned to have. But that one drink had warmed her up. Even made her lips curve upward ever so slightly. That led to the second which had managed to emit laughter from the back of her throat. By number four her mind had completely gotten over the disappointment and anger harbored towards Moira and managed to dissipate into a deep longing for someone else.

She didn't remember dialing Amélie's number, much less asking her to come get her. But she knew she must have when she saw her towering over her with her arms crossed over her chest. Her face was blank of expression, but her eyes, they told it all. It was as if she was trying her hardest to hide the sympathy, pity even that she felt for Angela. Her long black hair hung long and regal across her shoulders. She wore the same peacoat she'd been wearing the first time Angela had met her and black pants and boots to match. She slid onto the stool next to Angela eyeing the empty glasses in front of her then the weariness of her face. Her palm found her cheek, caressing it softly as she slowly turned Angela's head to face her.

Angela looked down at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact, not when she was like this. How she must've looked, her hair thrown about her head, eyes red from the on and off tear fall. How pathetic it must've been. She twirled her thumbs, her eyes focused on Amélie's boots. "You came," she whispered, her voice drowned by the music.

Still Amélie must've heard her because she nodded, her palm still soft against Angela's cheek.

"I'm sorry to have you out so late." It was nearly one in the morning and Gérard wasn't away on a mission. She wondered what Amélie had told him when she left out. Or maybe he'd been the one to tell her things. The news about Moira's latest transgression was spreading quickly especially after Angela left the copies she'd made on Morrison's desk. She was still debating that decision. 

"It's fine," Amélie said before gently easing Angela's head down against her shoulder. 

"I'll explain everything to Gérard if he—"

Amélie waved her off before she could finish. "Don’t worry about that. He's fine. It's fine." Angela sighed heavily as the bartender slid another shot in front of her. Amélie looked at her as she reached for it and took it from her grasp, downing it in one swift motion. Angela frowned at her but Amélie's face remained unchanged. "Didn't take you for a whiskey drinker."

Angela closed her eyes picturing Moira taking swigs from her bottle. "Me either." She leaned deeper into Amélie, getting a strong waft of the lavender scent of her hair. "You were right, you know. About that doctor friend of mine."

Amélie walked her fingers along the back of Angela's hand. "Is that what this is about?"

"Gérard didn't tell you?"

That made her smile. "Do you think we only discuss you?"

Angela's faced reddened at the insinuation. "No, I didn't mean—"

A calming finger found its way to her lips. "He mentioned that something had happened at work and suggested that I reach out to you."

"Oh." Angela's eyes found the floor again. "But you didn't."

"I thought about it. Then you called."

"And now you're here."

"Yes. Now I'm here."

Amélie's shoulder was warm against Angela's cheek, her fingers feathery against the back of her hand. She turned it over, allowed Amélie's fingers to walk across her palm. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Amélie nodded. "Can you walk?"

Angela looked around the room, at the blurry lights and attempted to take a step from the stool she'd been planted on for the better part of two hours. Her legs were wobbly, but functional. Still Amélie locked her arm around her waist and walked with her through the crowded tables, past drunken bodies corralled in the middle of the room. The air outside was even colder and less forgiving than when Angela had been in it earlier. She found herself clinging to Amélie even more as they rounded a corner and she threw her hand up at a black SUV parked across the street. Angela's heart stopped. Had she brought Gérard with her? He was the last person she wanted seeing her like this. But when the car approached them Angela found an unfamiliar face in the driver's seat. She and Amélie both eased into the back, Amélie pulling her back into her shoulder after she'd gotten settled.

"You have a driver."

Amélie nodded. "Malik. Gérard recently hired him."

Malik looked back at them. "Where to?"

"I need your address, Angela."

Angela had to think for a moment before the address came to mind. It occurred to her that Amélie had never been to her apartment before. In fact, they'd never really spent any time in each other's personal spaces. She'd been to the Lacroix home but had never been inside. She wondered what Amélie would think of her apartment. But then she let that thought float away. Surely, she was only planning to drop her off. After all it was late and Gérard was home. This wasn't the time to visit and hang out. Still, she wondered what it would be like to have Amélie over for a visit. Feeling the warmth of her body, seeing the smile that had spread so smoothly across her face in the pub made it even clearer how much she'd missed her. It also made her even more aware of the feelings she been trying to hide away. It would be harder to ignore those feelings with Moira out of the picture, but she'd try. After all she needed to get her mind together after everything she'd discovered. 

She hadn't officially ended things with Moira, but she also didn't see a way for them for move forward, not with the way she continuously lie and hide things from her. And that implant, it's capabilities, what exactly was she planning to do with that down the line? The possibilities made her uneasy. But she didn't want to focus on that, didn't want to spend her time obsessing over Moira and her next scandal. She needed to get back to where she'd been a year earlier, focused on her own work, on getting out in the field, on saving lives. All of this extra was only a distraction and there was no room for that, not anymore.

But that all went out the window when she noticed Malik drive away after they pulled up to her apartment building and stepped out of the vehicle. She gave Amélie a puzzled look.

"I don't feel right leaving you alone in this state," she said simply then nodded forward. "Lead the way."

Angela's equilibrium was returning with an intensity. Amélie stayed close to her as she led her to the elevator that would bring them to the fourth floor where her apartment was. Her mind went back to thoughts she'd had before, that this crush of hers was not unrequited. Could it be that she was right? Did it matter if she was? She looked down at the shimmering ring on Amélie's finger then up at Amélie who'd been following her eyes. She quickly looked away, relieved to see the doors of the elevator open. She still stumbled but not enough to need Amélie to help her through the thin hallway to her door. She knew there was a mess inside. Clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, papers scattered on the sofa and the end of her bed. She took a deep breath before unlocking the door.

Amélie immediately tripped over a loose shoe causing Angela to rush to turn on the lights. When she did she saw Amélie's eyes combed over her living room. It wasn't awful, but it was far from clean. There were rings on the glass coffee table along with an empty takeout container and a stack of papers. Her several pairs of shoes littered the floor. Angela went to grab the empty container when she lost her balance and nearly came crashing down onto the beige carpet. Luckily Amélie was still close by and managed to catch her before she did.

"How about we get you to your bed," she said, easing her to the closed door that emptied into Angela's room.

"I'm sorry for the mess," Angela muttered while reaching for the door knob.

"Don't be."

At least the bed was made Angela thought when she opened the door to her bed linen thrown lazily about the mattress as if she'd been in a rush when she'd done it. She quickly kicked off her shoes then paused when reaching for the buttons of her pants. Her eyes met Amélie's.

"Really, Angela, it's not as if I haven't seen another woman before," she scoffed. 

It was all Angela could think of as she slid her pants down her legs, the skinny ends capturing her ankles. She stumbled again, this time landing on her back on the mattress. 

"Let me help." Amélie grabbed her left leg, slid the pants right off before grabbing Angela's left hand and pulling her up. Angela felt her heart beat speed up as her fingers went to work each button of her blouse one by one. Her eyes went from the deep purple nail polish up to Amélie's lips before stopping there. She didn't think she could meet her eyes, not feeling what she was in this moment. They would surely betray her. She felt goosebumps surface underneath Amélie's touch as she slid the blouse down her arms and off her body. "Lie down."

Angela remained still, her body firmly upright, hands clasped together. There was a warmth spreading through her body, from the edges of her ears, through her chest, down, between her thighs. She swallowed deeply, her eyes focused on her hands and not on the energy building in her chest, the thoughts building in her mind. So close, Amélie was so close. Her scent was assaulting her brain, making her dizzy. She wanted to take a deep inhale, take the woman deep into her senses. 

"Angela?"

Her voice was soft, like the gentle touch of drizzling rain before the hard storm. Angela clenched her hands tighter, kept her eyes down.

"Are you alright?" Two fingers on the edge of her chin. Angela couldn't help the way her body jumped. She looked up, finally, drinking in the deep hazel of Amélie's eyes like a fresh cup of mocha in the morning. They were soft, confused and concerned. Angela's eyes bounced between them and her lips, unaware of her body's movement forward as she did until her lips were grazing against Amélie's. An electric charge surged through her body and she added pressure to her lips, taking the softness of Amélie's against her own. And for a moment she felt pressure added back, she was sure it, but as quickly as it was added it was taken away as Amélie stepped back, her eyes wide and alarmed.

Angela swallowed hard, stumbled over her words. "I apologize I didn't mean to. I don't know what happened. I..."

Amélie shook her head as if dismissing the event all together then pointed to the mattress. "Lie down," she said in a calm even voice and Angela did this time, quickly pulling the blankets up over her.

"Do you have any spare linens?" 

Angela pointed to the adjoining closet. Amélie went inside, grabbed a blanket then returned to Angela, she now the one avoiding eye contact. "I'll be right outside if you need me," she said quietly before exiting the room and closing the door behind her. 

When Angela made up her mind to end things with Moira she wasn't sure what she expected to happen. Perhaps she expected more of the same cat and mouse game that had gotten them to where they were. She'd resist, Moira would continue to chance unwilling to let go, and Angela would do her best to mean it this time. But she didn't expect a flight response that had built up so strong she could barely breathe as Moira held her by her neck encouraging her to reconsider. There was something about the wild look in Moira's eyes, the way the blue eye darkened almost to a deep navy and the red glowed like a flame that sparked a new response in her. For the first time, she felt like she might be afraid of Moira. It wasn't that she expected her to choke her in that moment. Moira would never be that vicious. But there was something else there that she couldn't quite put her hands on. Maybe it was the deceptive way that Moira operated that concerned her. If Moira had really wanted to do something to her she could without her ever knowing it.

But these thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt knock on her office door and the announcement that the Lacroix couple was outside. Angela swallowed deeply. Amélie was outside. Another problem. Yet again their communication had been limited. When she'd awaken the next morning after her embarrassing display she'd found her linens neatly folded on her sofa and her living room straightened up. But Amélie had been nowhere to be found. When asked through text later she explained that she had an early class to teach. The kiss wasn't brought up or discussed to Angela's delight and despair. She was still too embarrassed to question it outright, but she couldn't stop herself from thinking that she'd felt Amélie reciprocate to some degree. She wanted to know if had been the alcohol or if she was in fact right that Amélie had kissed her back even if she didn't know what either confirmation would do for her. But this couldn't have been a worse time.

She noticed Moira raise a brow as if to challenge her to move. But then with a grunt she took a step back released her. Angela ran her hand over the spot on her neck where Moira had had her wanting to retaliated in some way, despite the shakiness she still felt. But instead she took several deep breaths then opened the door. 

Gérard's voice flowed in deep and smooth as he said, "Angela, I hope you don't mind us dropping by. Amélie insisted that I bring her by before I--" He stopped when he noticed Moira behind her. "Dr. O'Deorain, here you are. Commander Reyes has been trying to find you. Amélie, this is Dr. Moira O'Deorain, our geneticist. Doctor, this is my wife."

Angela's eyes met Amélie's with a swift glance before settling on the floor.

 "So, this is your married friend?" She noticed the contempt in Moira's voice as she asked this and immediately thought of Amélie's late texts and Moira's annoyance with them. When she looked up she noticed a devious smirk on Moira's face and confusion on Gérard's. 

"You're wanted for a meeting, doctor. Shall I escort you?" he asked.

Amélie's scent tickled Angela's nose as she took a step closer to her, brushing against her. Angela brought her eyes up and saw intense glares being exchanged Moira and Amélie. She wasn't sure what to make of it. But before she could give it much thought Moira held her arm out for Gérard to take. "Shall we?" she said with one more glance over her shoulder.

Gérard hesitated before grabbing her arm, letting Amélie know that he'd be back by before he shipped off, then cautiously leading Moira out of the office leaving Angela and Amélie alone. For a moment silence settled between them. Angela continued to rub at her neck still thinking of the feel of Moira's faint grasp. It was almost as if it had been meant as a warning.

"So that's the doctor," Amélie said, walking about the space, taking in Angela's office. She scanned her books, some old textbooks but many were journals detailing the latest medical practices and breakthroughs. There were also several awards that Angela had received over the years, copies of degrees, pictures with colleagues and other professionals. There was one her eyes rested on a moment longer than the others, one with Moira. Angela watched as she went to the picture which was on a shelf on her bookcase and picked it up, inspecting it. The picture had been taken months ago around the time Angela and Moira had first began getting close. Moira had reluctantly posed for the picture, refusing to smile, but at least looked the slightest bit pleased to have Angela's arm around her shoulder.

"She's...something," Amélie continued. "The eyes, I'm assuming she wasn't born that way."

Angela walked over taking the picture from her and setting in face down on her desk. "The red one is artificially enhanced."

"Meaning?"

"It can do things that our eyes cannot."

"Such as?"

Angela leaned against her desk. "Does it matter?"

Amélie shrugged. "I suppose not. Just curious." More silence settled as Amélie continued to explore the office. "Did you end it?"

"Excuse me?"

"With the doctor?"

"I...yes I suppose so."

Amelie nodded, giving approval. She then took the conversation in a different direction. "You know, I am sorry that I left you the way that I did the last time we saw each other."

Angela felt her heart rate increase and her palms began to clam up. "It's fine."

"I just thought you'd want some space when you awoke."

Angela chewed on her lip. Amelie's back was to her as she examined one of the plaques on her wall. This was her time to say something. She felt the words bubbling up inside of her throat, her breathing growing shallower as they did. "You mean after embarrassing myself?"

Amélie paused but kept her back to her. "There was no need to be embarrassed."

She chewed into her lip again, harder. "That kiss. It was reason enough."

More silence settled between them. She could see Amélie fiddling with her fingers while also shifting her footing. "Angela," she said barely above a whisper.

"It won't happen again."

The fiddling, the shifting, it became even more pronounced. Then there was the twirling of the wedding ring. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay." Amélie swiveled on her heels, a nervous smile on her face. "There's no need to let it get between us, right?"

The disappointment hit harder than Angela expected it to even though she expected this response. She had to admit that a small part of her was hoping for more, for that confirmation that it hadn't all been in her head. But this was the only likely way for this to go. After all, Amélie was married. There was no amount of hoping or wishing that would make that go away. With a deep breath Angela nodded and returned the smile. "Right."

"Good." Amélie swivel back around, her eyes glued back to the plaques. Angela knew she was no longer reading them but simply avoiding her gaze. What she didn't know is if she'd been in front of that plaque she would've saw that Amélie was just as disappointed with her response as she was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally moving forward in a new direction. Moira's considering making some major life changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back to Moira's POV. This chapter was really hard to write. I have the general direction I want to go in mind but the execution part and doing the set up has been a little tricky. Still I had a lot of fun with this chapter so I hope you like. Next chapter goes back to Angela. Already working on it. Happy reading :)

The weeks following the suspension of Moira's research had gone by in a frustrating blur. All of the subjects who'd been implanted with her technology had undergone surgery and had the implant removed despite her protests. Moira spent her days assisting other doctors on their projects, following their leads, their directions, correcting their mistakes, and getting shut down whenever she offered suggestions for improvement. Some were nice about it, noting that they appreciated her input. Others were quick to bring up the suspension as proof of her incompetence. It took everything in her to maintain her cool in those types of situations. She was beginning to feel stuck in her position and it was never good for Moira to feel stuck. But then an unforeseen silver lining appeared in the form of an anonymous email. 

She'd almost deleted it as spam, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her. Whoever had sent the email didn't give a return address, simply a place and time to meet. It was up to her whether or not she showed. But it wasn't the anonymity of the email that gained her attention. What made her ventured off to a small neighborhood park in the middle of an aggravating snowfall was the fact that whoever had sent that email knew things they shouldn't have, things that were not released to the press. They knew of her suspension, her loss of her funding, the failed implant, even the potential uses for it. There was no way for anyone to get that information, not unless there was a leak and she was determined to find who it was.

She sat on a lonely bench with her long legs crossed at the ankles rocking ever so slightly to shake off the cold. She'd been there nearly forty-five minutes and was contemplating leaving. Perhaps this was a wild goose chase and somebody thought it was fun to fuck with her, continue to kick her while she was down. But before she could make it to her feet a large man took a seat beside her, his legs too crossed at the ankles, eyes staring forward at the shrubbery slowly disappearing under a cloud of white fluff. Out of the corner of her eye Moira could see that the man had dark skin, dark eyes, and tight thin lips. But what really stood out was the bald head that was melting each flake of snow that dared to land on it.

"My apologizes for the wait," he said with a deep African accent. 

Moira kept her eyes forward as well, attempting to hide her curiosity. "Shall we cut to the interesting part?"

A smirk spread across the man's face. "Don't you want to know who I am?"

Moira shrugged. "I'm more interested in who you work for and what you're offering. You know things."

The man nodded. "I do. Things aren't exactly peachy over there at Overwatch, are they?"

Moira remained silent, her hands clasping together in response instead. 

"I'm a fan of your work, doctor. I know you are often criticized for your methods, but I for one find them admirable. Takes a strong person to make the tough decisions and get things done."

"Enough flattery," she said with a quick yawn. "Interesting part."

"Not a fan of the build up?"

"Not even a little."

The man shifted, finally looked at her. She gazed at him, finally noticing just how large his stature really was. It was a bit intimidating to say the least, but she gave no indication of it. He said, "I'd like to make you an offer. A great doctor like you needs resources, funding to make the great discoveries that you do. I'd like to offer you funding."

A harsh chuckle escaped Moira's lips. "In exchange for what? And just where is this funding coming from?"

The man rubbed his hands together then reached into his jacket, pulled out a card and handed it to her. Moira's eyes ran over it smoothly. Two things stood out: the man's name and his organization.  _Akande_ _Ogundimu_ _. Talon_ _._ _Chief Operation Officer_. Moira scoffed quietly. She knew all about Talon. There was no way to not know Talon working for Overwatch. In the public Talon was simply an organization looking out for human interests. But underneath it all they were nothing but thugs and terrorists, a bunch of rejects people like Ogundimu found suitable to fight for their cause. She'd had more than one run in with agents from Talon and she was not impressed by them.

"I know what you must be thinking," Ogundimu began, "I'm the enemy. Why on earth would you help the enemy, right?"

Moira shrugged again. "Something like that, yes."

Ogundimu reached into his coat again, this time pulling out a folded piece of paper and sliding it into Moira's hand. She looked at him cautiously before unfolding and examining it. The paper was a check made out to her for fifty thousand credits. Moira's eyes narrowed. "What is this?"

"There's more where that comes from. All we ask is that you help us. Help us help humanity."

"Help humanity how?"

Ogundimu smiled a grand smile, one that was worth way more than that check. "There are things we're trying to do, things we're trying to accomplish. But we can't do that when there's always a certain group meddling in our affairs, disrupting our progress."

Moira looked down at the check, her fingers walking over the print. "Overwatch."

"You have inside knowledge of how they hinder us, doctor. It must be frustrating to have them impede you every step of the way. To constantly have to ask permission and have oversight for every single thing you do. Wouldn't it be nice to work alone? Without someone looking over your shoulder telling you what you can and can't do?"

Moira pondered this for a moment. Frustrating was putting things mildly, but she didn't want him to know that he piqued her interest. So, she maintained a neutral expression, kept digging for the catch. "You're still doing the build up. Last time I request the interesting part."

Ogundimu cleared his throat clearly not used to someone not falling into the web he was trying to spin. He cut to the chase this time. "We'd like to fund your research in exchange for your cooperation."

Now Moira was smirking.  _Finally_ , she thought. "Cooperation with what exactly?"

"Overwatch is a thorn that keeps digging itself deeper and deeper in our side. We are in the process of removing it, but that process could go so much smoother and faster with a person on the inside."

"Ah," Moira said interlocking her fingers. "A double agent."

"In a sense."

"So you expect me to betray my team for—"

"For humanity," Ogundimu reasoned. "I think you better than anyone understand that sacrifices are necessary for success."

"Hmm." Her interest was beyond piqued at this point. She was entirely interested but not completely sold. At this point she wouldn't say that she had any deep loyalties to Overwatch especially not with the way she was being treated. If the offer had simply been to leave them she would have said yes with no hesitation. But betrayal, that often led to casualties and though she honestly felt that many Overwatch members were expendable there were a select few who simply were not. "I'm assuming I will be allotted time to consider."

Ogundimu nodded. "One week tops, preferably less."

Moira nodded and rose from her spot. "How do I contact you when I'm ready?"

"There will be another email sent to you with coordinates and times. Those will be the places and times you can meet me if available."

It seemed a bit much to Moira but she also understood the caution. If there were even rumblings about a Talon agent in town let alone her meeting with one she could only imagine the chaos that would follow. She reached out to hand the check back to Ogundimu but he put his hand up, refusing it. "Consider it an investment."

"And if I decide that this partnership is not for me?"

"The money is still yours to keep."

Moira arched a brow. "You make it a habit of giving out large sums of money?"

Ogundimu smiled again. "More often than you'd think. Plenty to go around, doctor. We don't mind sharing." With that he was off trudging a light trail through the snow disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared.

Ogundimu's offer was heavy on her mind when she made it back to headquarters especially with the check burning hot in her pocket. There were many benefits to leaving Overwatch. After all she hated the process of having to get every little thing she did approved by people who weren't even capable of understanding the full implications of her research and discoveries. She couldn't even order supplies without a written document explaining the necessity. And the questioning, she didn't become a doctor to have every decision she made questioned. But there were also reasons to stay. She was fond of Reyes. Despite his limited power he always seemed to give her unwavering support and fought for her every step of the way. And there was Angela who wouldn't even make eye contact in passing anymore, let alone speak. Still, Angela who she got to see every day with the crystal clear blue eyes that could dive deep beyond her tough exterior and break her down to her barest composition. Angela who was...getting her ass handed to her by McCree in the training room?

Moira paused outside of the glass doors of the training room. Angela and McCree were inside dancing around thick black and blue mats on the floor. Angela's hair was up in a ponytail though some rebellious strands had escaped and were sticking to the sweaty flushed skin of her face. She wore black jogging pants with the Overwatch insignia on the side and a black sports bra, padded gloves on her hands. Moira's eyes ironed over her body briefly before getting interrupted by McCree who had dodged with a blocking pad and hooked his right leg around Angela's left ankle, dropping her hard on the mat. She saw the frustration on Angela's face as McCree's muffled voice rang out, challenging her to push herself harder. Moira's jaw tightened until she saw Angela get up without missing a beat and jab McCree into the pad before landing a haymaker on his right side, staggering him. A proud smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She'd heard that Angela had begun training for field work, even heard rumblings about a suit that she was working on. But with the way it was described, something about a halo and wings, she hadn't really taken it seriously.

She continued to watch on as Angela wiped her forehead with the back of her left arm. McCree motioned with his fingers continuing to challenge her to make a move and she did, throwing her whole body forward as she connected with his body. But McCree absorbed the hit and came to her with a combo on his own, putting her down on the mat. Moira shook her head.  _She's not meant for this_ , she thought to herself. A great doctor sure, but combatant? She wasn't cut out for it. Moira didn't go in the field often, but she'd been enough to hold her own and to know that, while Angela showed potential, this display simply would not cut it. She eased through the doors of the training room just as Angela was getting to her knees exhaling harshly. A stream of ice traveled down Moira's spine when their eyes met.

There had been no dialogue between the pair since their last encounter in Angela's office, when the Lacroix duo interrupted. It wasn't because she had no interest in talking to Angela but she had no idea what to even say or how to begin. It didn't help that Angela wouldn't even make eye contact with her now, not in passing or in mutual staff meetings. If she spoke she did so curtly while keeping her legs moving, careful not to stop and engage.

 McCree looked behind him, noticing her for the first time. He then looked back at Angela as if he were waiting for the fireworks to fly. Moira didn't say a word as Angela got to her feet so McCree did. "Moira."

Moira's eyes fell upon Angela. "Do you have a moment?"

"Not now," Angela growled.

"Actually, we've been going for a little while. How 'bout a break?" McCree offered.

Angela shook her head. "I don't need a break. Let's go. Now."

McCree's eyes fell upon Moira almost as if asking what to do. Moira nodded to the exit.

McCree nodded in acknowledgement. "Well then I need a break."

A small smile crept onto Moira's face. "I can step in if she insists on continuing."

McCree's eyes grew wide for a moment. "Now wait a minute, I don't know if that's—"

"Fine. Let's go," Angela said.

McCree looked between the two apprehensively before running his hand over his hair and stepping back. Moira slipped her lab coat off her shoulders and slowly began to undo the buttons of her blouse. Her smile grew as she noticed Angela’s eyes glued to her with the more skin she exposed. There was nothing Moira could do about the black slacks she was wearing, but at least she had a sports bra on underneath the blouse. She stretched her shoulders, swinging her left arm over the right shoulder and then the opposite. McCree handed over his defense pads before finding a place along the back wall to lean against. This should be good," he mumbled to himself.

Angela shuffled from foot to foot, wiping stray hairs away from her face as she did. The depth of her glare was enough make Moira proceed with caution. Angela began to make a slow approach. Moira kept her eyes on her as she did, noting the openings in her stance. So many exposed areas. No wonder McCree had dropped her.

"Shame that this is what it takes to get you to look at me," Moira said after avoiding one of Angela's punches.

"What do you want? There's nothing left to say."

Moira blocked a few punched aimed at her chest, the last throwing off her footing. Angela had more strength than she realized. She kept that in mind.

"I didn't lie to you," Moira began. "There were things about the implant that I omitted yes, but—"

A sinister laugh escaped Angela's lips before she went around the blocking pad landing a powerful haymaker into Moira's side causing her to stumble. Moira took a deep breath, tried to absorb the pain.

"Nice one, Angie!" McCree hollered from the background.

She took a deep breath and continued. "I didn't think the risks would be significant. I monitored those patients closely. There was no implication that there would be any major problems. I didn't account for gradual deterioration because there were no signs that the implant would overpower the nervous system. I see now that—"

Angela rolled her eyes before using her body to push Moira back, throwing her back on the mat. Moira looked up at her with wide eyes as Angela stood over her. She expected aggression, sure, but this was something different. "You just can't help yourself, can you? You tell me what you think I want to hear like I'm too stupid to figure out the truth. You don't care about me. You care about getting what you need when you need it. You didn't even respect me enough to be honest when I came to you about using the implant. What if I had gotten it? Then what?"

Moira took a deep breath and propelled herself forward, grabbing Angela by the thigh and forcing her on her back hard against the mat. A sharp breath left Angela's chest upon impact. Moira used her right hand and knee to pin her down. "I never would've let you get the implant."

"Because you care, right?" Angela said, mocking her. "Did a great job of showing that when grabbed me by my neck."

Was that what this was about? Now Moira was the one chuckling. Surely she wasn't being this overdramatic about that. "You act like I choked you. I never would've done that."

"No, you just wanted to display your power, right? Well do it now, Moira. Show me who's in control." Angela pushed her gloves into Moira's chest hard, testing her.

Moira inhaled deeply, gritting her teeth. If it had been anyone else she would've done just that, but this was her Angel and she'd done some things to mess it up. She wasn't innocent in this so she let it go. This once. "I never lied about how I feel about you. Do you remember the talks we had? About your parents? About my mother? I don't have those kinds of talks with anyone, no one but you."

Angela lay there for a moment, catching her breath. "Is this where you tell me you love me? And then I what? Say it back? Forgive you? Give you another chance?"

Moira's eyes clenched shut as she gritted her teeth. "I...do."

Angela scoffed. "You can't even say it."

"I'm saying it now." Moira backed away giving Angela room to get back to her feet. Her heart was thumbing fast. She wasn't one to talk about feelings. To say this out loud, it was taking everything in her to push the words off her tongue. "I..." she sighed deeply. "You mean everything to me, Angela."

Angela scoffed wiping away more sweat before it had a chance to drip in her eyes. "Right."

Moira felt anger boiling up inside of her. Here she was trying to be honest, trying to put it all out on the table and it still wasn't appreciated. "Damn it, Angela, what do you want from me?" she yelled as stormed towards to doctor startling her. She didn't expect Angela's reflexes to be so sharp, for her right arm to draw back so suddenly and propelled her fist as hard as she could right in the center of her face. There was a spark of pain before numbness began to take over. Angela's eyes grew wide as she slowly backed away from her, confusing her until she saw the red drip from her face down onto the mat. Then McCree was behind her, turning her around repeatedly asking if she was okay. Moira dropped her pads and touched two fingers to her nose. Was it broken? Shit. She turned again and Angela was still looking at her with wide eyes as McCree yelled at her to do her doctor stuff, fix it. But Angela didn't move, didn't try to help. She just looked at her as if horrified by her own actions or maybe she was simply still in shock. Moira wasn't sure what. McCree called for another medic clearly convinced that Angela wasn't going to help and she didn't. Instead she walked out, gloves still on her hands as if fleeing a crime. Moira growled as blood began painting her lips, a headache settling in.  _This is what you get for caring_ , Moira told herself. A broken nose and bruised ego. 

"It's not that bad," Reyes chuckled a few hours later. "The way McCree went on I expected much worse."

"Glad you find this amusing, Gabriel," Moira sneered. She was sitting at her desk with a small mirror in her hand assessing the damage. Moira's nose wasn't shattered and the redness under her eyes wasn't too bad. The swelling though, it made it hard to look in the mirror. Splints had been put in to help with the breathing as well as a brace to help with the shaping, but all in all it wasn't bad. It was more embarrassing than anything. To have your ex-girlfriend break your nose and not even stick around to clean up the mess, it didn't get much worse than that.

"I have to admit, I didn't think Ziegler had it in her. Maybe she'd prove to be useful in the field after all."

Moira put down the mirror and glared at Reyes. "You can't really believe that."

Reyes shrugged. "It was a hard no before, but she's been doing well in her training. Girl's determined."

"She doesn't even want to carry a gun."

"Actually, she's changed her position on that. Morrison and Torbjorn are working on a special pistol for her. They considered asking for your help but with your current situation with Angela..."

Moira nodded. She didn't need him to finish that thought. "Doesn't seem like I'm wanted for much around here anymore. Nothing more than a punching bag."

"Oh come on, O'Deorain. I've never known you to mope or give up."

Moira considered her earlier conversation with Ogundimu. What was her purpose at Overwatch other than assisting others and being everyone's punching bag? Before she'd at least had Reyes and Angela in her corner but now...she still had the check. Fifty thousand credits. There was so much she could do with that. To be able to do things without asking permission or having to defend every little decision she'd made, it was beginning to feel worth more than what she'd be giving up.

Reyes must've seen the wheels turning in her head because he took a seat in front of her with a stern look on his face. "I know this is frustrating right now, but it'll pass. Things will get better. In the mean time, how about you try getting some individual funding, off the books."

Moira's brow rose in curiosity. "How do you mean?"

"The fundraiser."

Oh yes, the fundraiser. Moira had forgotten all about it. It was two nights away and all staff was expected to attend. Moira was never a fan of these types of gatherings mostly because of the idiotic minds that felt the need to question her about work when they couldn't even comprehend their basic genetic traits and compositions. It was just an excuse to put on fancy clothes and politic. She wasn't interested in either, especially not begging these aristocrats for money, but what options did she have left? Ogundimu's money would only go so far and that was IF she decided to take him up on his offer. At least if she had side funding she could put together a side project, something that would prove to the heads of Overwatch just how valuable she was. There would be no need to engage Talon, no need to betray anyone.

Moira sighed. "I'm not one to beg, Gabriel."

"I didn't say anything about begging. Charm, entice, persuade. No begging required."

Moira pointed to her nose. "Like this?"

Reyes smiled. "Builds character. You know how many of these things I've shown up to all banged up?"

"From a mission not from a colleague."

"They don't need to know the difference."

Moira gently rubbed the pads of her fingers over her nose. Perhaps the swelling would go down enough in the next couple of days for her to at least look presentable at this thing. And she had always been good with words. It was one of her many talents. 

Reyes gave her a rough pat on the shoulder while smiling down at her. Despite her best effort Moira couldn't seem to escape his gaze. After a few moments she gave up trying and allowed a long exacerbated to sigh escape her lips. "Fine," she groaned. 

Too many fucking people. That was Moira's first thought as she eased her way through the crowd to get through the entrance. The second thought was about the music. So pretentious and regal, as if these people really listened to classical music in their free time. Most of them probably couldn't even name the composer. The fundraiser was located at the grand hall in Old Billingsgate, a place that would seem to be perfect for the number of people speckled around, but Moira still found herself feeling very claustrophobic. Still she keep moving through the crowd with a forced smile upon her face, rejecting the offered champagne in favor of the flask tucked away in the bust of her vest. That would be for later. 

The event was broken up into two areas. One areas consisted of a dining areas where a buffet was laid out and waiters were hired to fixed plates for the guest. This area was primarily for the upper crest of Helix and the few importants of Overwatch i.e. Morrison, Amari, Reyes, and Winston. For the other guests a much simpler less expensive display was set out with limited seating and a buffet line to make up for the waiters busy in the other area. Moira couldn't deny that the lemon parsley baked cod she'd spied on someone's plate looked exceptional, but that wasn't what she was here for. She put two fingers against her nose cringing slightly at the pain. The swelling had gone down quite a bit in the couple of days that followed leaving behind a faint redness in its place. She didn't need the splints anymore but the brace was still there. She rubbed her palms over the vest and her black pants before taking a deep breath and scanning the room.

Lots of money around, she could tell that by attire alone. She decided to start from the top of the room and make her way down. In doing so she noticed Lacroix out of the side of her eye. His lovely wife was with him, her eyes scanning over Moira as she passed by. A low growl escaped her lips but she kept it moving until she was invading a political circle discussing the concerns of the rising influence of the Omnics. Moira took charge of that opening, decided to harp on about the importance of humanity sticking together, the need for humanity to have an edge in case a war were to eventually break out. Humanity needed to be prepared and she was proud to be a pioneer in helping prep citizens. They were all captivated, intrigued by how she planned to do that and what she'd accomplished so far. But it only took one. Always that one. Another doctor no less. So much for sticking together.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. O'Deorain but weren't there some  _issues_ with your latest project? Something about nervous system complications? I mean your plans sound great and all, but what cost would need to be paid to ensure their success?"

Moira swallowed hard, glaring at the woman as all eyes began to focus on her. She was shorter and thicker than her but older, probably mid fifties and already greying. A pioneer in her own right, Moira knew who this woman was. She'd even read some of her research. It was good, even innovative at times, but not innovative enough.

"I mean, I'm all for giving humanity an edge, but I believe there is a way to do everything. Certain precautions must be taken. I believe your colleague has a better understanding of this."

Moira's lips quivered but her smile didn't fall. "I believe you are referring to Dr. Angela Ziegler."

The woman nodded. "That is correct. I've been particularly interested in her studies of nanobiology and a recent success she had repairing a leg that was not believed to be viable by medical standards."

Moira was preparing a comeback when as if on cue the doctor herself joined the conversation. A twinge of irritation ran up the back of her neck despite how pleased her eyes were with the sight in front of her. Angela was wearing a gorgeous black gown that exposed her back and just fell below her knees. Moira couldn't remember a time she'd ever seen Angela in a dress even at previous events, and after seeing her now she couldn't understand why. She was stunning. Her hair was pinned up in the back, exposing the shimmering diamonds in her eyes. Not to mention she was actually wearing heels, though not very high, still a change for her. But what was even more surprising was the way that she linked her arm with Moira's. Moira lost her smile in that moment, deciding on a confused raise of the brows instead. But once she recovered the smile returned.

"That event that you are referring to actually would not have been possible without the help of Dr. O'Deorain here. She was very helpful in making that surgery a success."

The woman looked between Moira and Angela, noting Angela's hand on Moira's forearm before commenting. "But it was  _your_ research, am I correct doctor?"

Angela nodded. "You are, yes. Research of which I often consult with Dr. O'Deorain. She's a great help to me. She provides perspectives that I would never consider on my own."

Moira tried to swallow the dryness in her throat so that she could respond to the lies Angela was telling in her favor but it was not enough. 

"I'm sure Dr. O'Deorain's genius is unmatched by many, but her work in not the direction I'd like to go in. Perhaps we could speak one on one, doctor." The woman handed Angela a business card before heading off in another direction taking the crowd with her. Moira growled loudly before focusing on Angela who dropped the card on the ground.

"I'm sorry," she said with a softness in her eyes.

Moira frowned. "What was that?"   
"I was trying to help you."

Moira felt a stinging in her nose. She brought her fingers up to touch it noticing Angela's eyes watching the entire time. "I'm not interested in your help, Angela."

She began to walk off but before she could get far she felt Angela's fingers around her wrist. "Wait."

Moira paused and groaned. "What?"

Angela came around to stand in front of her, her eyes flooding with sadness as she eyed Moira's nose. She then reached up with timid fingers, easing towards it but Moira backed away before she could make contact. 

"I...I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine."

"I wasn’t really thinking in that moment I—"

"I said it's fine, Angela."

Angela's eyes floated to the ground. Moira looked away, trying to focus on anything else but the beauty in front of her. But her eyes found another. A dark haired one watching intently from across the room. Her eyes narrowed. "I think you made yourself quite clear the other day."

Angela looked up from the ground. "What?"

"I told you how I felt and you broke my nose. It doesn't get much clearer than that."

A deep sigh escaped Angela's lips. A brew of conflicted emotions emerged in her eyes as her hands drifted towards Moira's, her fingers walking across her palms before the realization of her actions dawned on her. She pulled away, chewed her bottom lip as the wheels turned in her head. Moira wasn't sure what to make of it all given the way Angela had been treating her the last few weeks. But this display left her to believe that maybe all hope wasn't lost. Maybe there was a chance for...

"I don't hate you, Moira. And I appreciate you saying what you did I really do, but I don't think...we can't...it's would be best if we remain the way we are. It's better for us this way."

The words echoed in Moira's brain. Better this way. Right. She didn't have time for this. She was irritated enough as it was. With a swift roll of her eyes she pushed past the younger doctor making a beeline for a nearby balcony. She didn't even bother looking around before pulling the flask out of her vest and taking a long swig. Normally on a night like this she would find the cold air crippling but not now. Now it was the only comfort she had outside of the light stinging of the whiskey as it painted her throat. She stared out at the night sky at all of the distant lights trying to ignore the dampness that was stinging the backs of her eyes. Surely it was the harsh wind whipping at her face causing this. Moira couldn't remember the last time she cried. She didn't even think she was capable of such an action but the way she'd been feeling lately would certainly warrant such a reaction. With each day that passed she'd began to feel a strong hopelessness and uselessness that often came with depression and she was no stranger to it. But it hadn't been something she'd had to deal with for quite some time. She also hadn't allowed herself to feel anything for anyone in a long time either. She considered this as she took another long gulp from the flask when the teasing scent of tobacco began burning her nose.

She paused for a moment, flask still in her hand aware that she was no longer alone. From the footsteps that followed she knew her company was female, wearing heels. There was also the sweet and delicate scent that began to mix with the smoke. It was something like a lavender vanilla. She'd smelled it before inside of Angela's office. Moira's brows crinkled as she glanced at the woman over her shoulder. "Does Angela know you smoke?" 

More footsteps came as the woman moved closer, the smoke now a cloud threatening to engulf her. "It's never come up." The woman stood next to her holding the cigarette between two thin fingers, a small smirk on her face. Moira eyed the cigarette, an action to which the woman responded by holding it out for her to take. Moira thought on it a moment before taking the cigarette from her and inhaling deeply.

"She hates smokers, you know."

The woman simply shrugged. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I don't think we've had the opportunity to properly acquaint ourselves," Moira said after feeling her body relax a bit as the toxins ran through her.

"I don't believe there is much that needs to be said. You're the ex. I'm the—"

"Replacement?" Moira held the cigarette out for the dark-haired woman who took it after a small chuckle.

"The friend."

"Now, now, let's not be coy, Lacroix."

There was something captivating about this woman especially with the way the moon light accentuated the midnight hue of her hair. And those eyes, it looked like they were looking right through her. There was nothing but confidence in them. It wasn't difficult to see how one could get caught up in her. But there was also something else there, something that reminded Moira a little of herself. Perhaps it was the way she looked at her as if she could take her apart with the simple blink of her eyes, a blind understanding that there was something far darker below her surface. 

"I'm a married woman, doctor." The woman leaned over the black railing and Moira had a fleeting thought of pushing her over.

"You say that as if it means something."

"Does it not?" Another sly smile, a chuckle, a long pull off the cigarette and a deep satisfying groan as the toxins were released into the air. 

Moira eyed her with a neutral face. Yes, there was indeed something very familiar about this woman and she didn't like it one bit. The audacity to stand here and toy with her, there weren't many people bold enough to attempt it.

"It's not fair to project your failed romance onto me. From what I've been told you were ruining it long before I came along."

Moira took another gulp from the flask wiping her mouth hastily with the back of her hand. "Wouldn't it be something if Gérard and Angela had this same conversation? I wonder how he would respond to a comment like that."

 That removed the smile. A small victory. "You're good at it, aren’t you? Ruining good things."

"I know what I saw in that office, Lacroix. I'm not blind. It may not have happened yet but you'd like it to."

The woman tensed as she stared Moira directly in the eyes. "There it is again, projecting."

"And you're deflecting. Certainly, Gérard can't be this blind. He must see it too especially if I picked it up after one brief encounter." And there it was, the cracking of the confident persona, the release of the upper hand. A brilliant grin spread across Moira's face as the woman shifted uncomfortably in front of her, taking a final pull off the cigarette before throwing it over the edge.

The woman turned abruptly putting herself directly in front of Moira, so close that their chests were almost touching. "You should mind your business. This obsession you have with Angela, it's  _pathetic_." The last word came out with so much venom that sprinkles of spit littered Moira's face. Her hands clenched, fisted, one gripping the flask. This woman was crossing too many lines, she needed to be put in her place. But before she had the opportunity to react she saw the blond watching them with wide eyes, her lips parted as if she was searching for the right words. The woman followed her gaze looking behind her and changing her demeanor when she too realized who was watching them. They both found themselves relaxing, Moira's fists unclenching as she took a step back from the woman.

"What is this?" Angela asked eyeing them curiously.

Moira pushed the flask back into her vest as she ran her hands over her clothing. 

"Friendly chatter," the other woman said feigning a smile. But Moira didn't have it in her to pretend, not now. She'd had enough disappointment and irritation for one night. She quietly excused herself pushing through the horde of people in the main ballroom ignoring those who were bold enough to stare at her nose and those with the sympathetic gazes. She passed Reyes who attempted to flag her down but she made no attempts to stop her stride. Her mind was made up now. This final evening had only confirmed what she'd already known. It was time for some changes in her life. She had enough of being patient and hoping for the best, sitting on her hands and waiting for things to get better. It was time for her to take things into her own hands.

She met Ogundimu the next day. Even he couldn't hide the surprise on his face. Did he expect her to show up one day, of course, but not this soon. He was pleased all the same. They met in another neighborhood park but didn't stay there long. Ogundimu had a truck. Moira was apprehensive about riding with him but he assured her it would be worth her time so she climbed in palming in the pistol holstered on her hip. Ogundimu had seen it and didn't say anything, made no attempt to remove it. That meant either he was incredibly stupid or even more cunning than even she knew. They rode in silence for nearly an hour before pulling up in front of a tall gated building. Ogundimu pulled out a phone and put in a code. The gate soon opened admitting them. Moira eyed the property taking in the lack of vehicles around. This couldn't be their headquarters. Even with the gate it wasn't protected enough. Behind the building was a spacious parking lot with three vans and a handful of cars. Ogundimu parked the truck then looked at Moira with a wide grin. "We're here."

Moira raised a brow. "Where?"

Without another word he got out and headed towards the building. Moira followed keeping several feet behind him. The first thing she noticed was the strong smell of bleach and a hint of solvent in the air, most likely from cleaning glass. Then there was the guard station in the front. There six screens each displaying portions of the building. The area wasn't manned at the moment but the desk and jackets on the two chairs told her it would be. "You brought me to a lab." She eyed the monitors seeing the different research stations that were distributed throughout the building. 

"No, I didn't bring you to a lab. I brought you to  _your_ lab."

Moira froze. Was he serious? A space this size, for her alone? She was used to working in small quarters hoping for at least a door to separate her from others. But an entire building to herself? This was unreal.

"I figured it best to show you now what you signed up," Ogundimu said with a triumphant smile. "Shall we take a tour?"

Moira nodded still taking in the building and equipment. The building wasn't new but the equipment inside, all of it was top of the line and newly purchased. Ogundimu explained that there would be staff at the lab to assist her. She was introduced to those who were there on site and was told more would be in attendance the next time she came. She could also bring along some of her people if she felt inclined to do so, they just needed to be vetted first. Moira had a couple of people in mind for special projects but she didn't mention them now. In addition to the lab work areas was a staff area and cafeteria for staff. There was also a med bay and several operating rooms. To the left of those was a spacious office that was nearly double the size of the one she had now. It had enough room for her to do all she needed in there without having the leave if she didn't want to. This was all way more than she could've ever hoped for or even considered asking for. There was so much equipment to explore, machines she'd only heard about but had never had the pleasure of utilizing herself.

After covering a good portion of the building Ogundimu gave her a strong pat on the back, that satisfied smile still on his face. "I'm going to go now, give you some time to take it all in, explore, enjoy. I'll be in touch soon so we can begin our working relationship."

Moira swallowed deeply. She wasn't looking forward to what that relationship entailed but she also couldn't see herself walking away from all of this, not now after seeing the reality of it all. 

"I look forward to working with you, doctor," he said with a wink before walking away.

Moira took a deep breath to dispel the concerning thoughts she was beginning to have. There's not turning back now, she thought to herself. This is happening. This is a necessary move. It is. But she couldn't shade the uneasiness that was beginning to take over.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Angela's POV for the next couple chapters. This one just kind of ends abruptly BUT it will continue on in the next chapter! I realized halfway through writing this part that I was going to have to break it up into 2 separate chapters like ch. 2 & 3 were. Anyways as always thanks for reading!

Angela stared long and hard at the bruised skin covering her right hand. Her knuckles were aching to say the least, even throbbing at times but that wasn't what bothered her. She couldn't get the sound of Moira's nose crunching against her fist out of her mind. The way that the blood rained from Moira's face had been startling and awoke her from her rage. A part of her felt a great deal of shame not simply because she'd done it, but because she'd done so intentionally. It wasn't like her to be this aggressive. And even though her actions hadn't been something she was proud of, Amari and Morrison praised her all the same. That was the kind of instinct that separated a person from life and death in the field. Perhaps she did have it in her to assist on missions they'd said. And maybe they were right. Maybe this was a side of her that she needed to learn to embrace. Still it didn't make her feel any better.

She was in one of the engineering rooms that she’d turned into her work space. This was where her suit was streamed up early twenty feet from the ground in its brilliant Overwatch blue with useless wings attached. They’d been giving her the most problem. She’d planned to work on it after her training session with McCree but Moira had put a halt to those plans.

She began to open and close her fist repeatedly before taking small a wand out of the pocket of her jacket. For a moment she eyed it before waving it over her hand watching a glowing yellow stream flow from it. The prickly feeling that followed felt like someone was running scalding hot water over her skin. She gritted her teeth but keep the wand over her hand all the same until the pain began to gradually decrease. Soon she didn't feel anything other than minor tingling. She pulled the wand away and examined her hand. The bruising was gone as well as the stiffness that had previously been there. She opened and closed her hand again, slowly at first then faster when she realized the wand had worked. A small smile covered her face. She'd been working hard on the nanobots ever since the success of the leg surgery, but she had been having trouble with the transfer process. When she'd operated on the man with the damaged leg she'd had to manually place the bots onto the damaged tissue which had been too time consuming. That wouldn't do out in the field. So, when she wasn't training she split her time between the suit and trying to figure out how to transfer these bots in a more convenient way. She hadn't expected the energy stream she'd been toying with to actually work but there she was with a completely healed hand.

"Well I'll be damned."

Angela paused at the sound of the southern drawl behind her. She hadn't expected anyone to be around. She turned slowly and saw McCree approaching her with an astonished look on his face. He grabbed her hand, eyeing the back curiously before turning it over to examine her palm. Then his eyes fell on the small wand. "How'd you do that?"

"Jesse," Angela said with a stern voice. "What are doing in here?"

But McCree was in too much awe to answer. Instead he snatched the wand out of her hand and put it against his arm where a large gash was etched. Before Angela could protest he waved the wand over his skin gasping sharply when the energy radiated over him. Both watched as the scar slowly began to disappear, leaving behind only a faint scar in its place. "This thing is amazing! Where the hell did you get this?"

Angela reached for the wand trying to snatch it but he held it away from her still in awe. "Jesse, that's not a toy."

"Damn right it ain't. This here’s magic. This shit is incredible!"   
"Jesse, please," Angela pleaded.

"Wait, let me try something else."

"No, Jesse! It's not ready yet. There are more tests that need to be run, side effects that I'm still exploring. Please."

McCree contemplated her pleas before handing over the wand and running his fingers where the gash had been on his arm. "That what you been working on for the field? That how you plannin' on helpin' us?"

Angela nodded. "When it's ready, yes."

"How'd you even make that? What is it?"

"I can't get into it right now. It's still a work in progress so please, don't tell anyone else about it." Angela didn't want to tell McCree that she'd gotten the technology this far by running unauthorized experiments on herself. McCree was great but he had a bad habit of letting things slip out and this wasn't something she needed getting out just yet.

McCree shook his head like he couldn't understand why she was hiding her discovery but he agreed all the same. "Fine. But figure that shit out soon. Could use that next time I break somethin'."

"When I work out the kinks you'll be the first to know, I promise."

McCree nodded then paused for a moment. A chuckle escaped his lips. "Bet Moira could really use some a that right about now. You really did a number on her."

Angela sighed that guilt washing back over her. "How is she?"

McCree waved her off. "It ain't as bad as it seemed. Broken for sure, but she'll live. Man, Angie, I didn't know you had it in you. That was some punch. Do more a that and you'll be out on missions in no time."

Angela sighed. At least it wasn't too bad of a break. But she also couldn't stop thinking of the way Moira had looked at her when she touched her fingers to her nose. It was probably the most vulnerable she'd ever seen her. A part of her wished she hadn't let the anger get the best of her. She wanted to entertain the confession that Moira had given. Did she really love her? And if so what could that have meant for them? Was Moira capable of changing? Could they actually make it work?

"Angie?" Angela shook away her thoughts and looked up at McCree who was eyeing her with sympathetic eyes. "What's going through that head of yours?"

Angela open and closed her fist again trying to get use to the absence of pain. "Do you think I was too harsh, Jesse?"

"Bad ass is more like it. Never seen this side of you. I like it," he said with a big smile on his face. 

"So, you don't think I was wrong for what I did?"

"People get hurt sometimes in this field. Moira knows that."

A tinge of guilt painted her voice as she said, "But what I did, it was no accident."

McCree gave her a knowing look. "Sometimes lessons need to be learned the hard way, Angie."

"And what lesson did Moira learn from this?"

McCree crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a big grin. "That Angela Ziegler ain't one to be fucked with."

That got a laugh out of her. Maybe McCree was right. She was always the one letting others walk all over her, always too passive when she needed to be more assertive. Plus, Amari and Morrison had made a good point. Passivity wasn't going to cut it in the field. Perhaps she did need to embrace this part of herself. "I think you're right," she said as she went to put the wand away. 

"Good. Oh! Almost forgot. You got a visitor."

That made her pause and raise a brow. "Who?"

"Lady Lacroix. She's in your office."

Angela's breath hitched in her throat. Things had become a bit weird between her and Amelie since their last talk in her office. Though they'd come to a mutual agreement that the kiss would be dismissed as nothing and they'd move forward, it had left a huge elephant in the room. Any face to face communications they shared had an air of awkwardness that only seemed to get worse. "Shit," she said under her breath.

"Want me to send her away?" McCree asked with a raised brow.

Angela considered the idea but ultimately decided against it. Avoidance wasn't going to make the situation any better. Plus, it was her fault things were even this way. If she hadn't gone and kissed her things wouldn't be the way that they were. It was up to her to clean up the mess. Somehow. "It's fine."

"You sure?"

Angela nodded. McCree nodded too then ducked out of the room. After a few deep breaths Angela was leaving too, locking the door behind her and heading to her office. Moments later she found Amélie leaning against the edge of her desk with a large brown paper bag. She was wearing jeans and thick snow boots, but not the stylish kind she usually wore. These looked like they'd be perfect for hiking. It was much more relaxed than Angela had ever seen her. Her ponytail was low and neat like she hadn’t put much thought into it and the makeup on her face was at the bare minimum.  To Angela the simplicity of her appearance had an appeal. "I don't think I've ever seen you this casual before."

A hint of redness peaked in Amélie's cheeks as she looked away with a concerned look on her face. "I was in a rush. You'll have to excuse me."

"No, no, I'm trying to say it suits you."

"Oh." The redness spread even further across her face giving her an air of vulnerability that also aired well with the casual look. "Well, thank you. I hope you weren't in the middle of something important. I just wanted to bring you this," she said while holding up the bag.

 "What's in the bag?" Angela asked while eyeing it curiously.

"Lunch. Gérard and I are going out, but I figured I'd bring you something since I know you're too busy these days to go and get anything."

Angela felt her cheeks warm of the gesture. "You didn't have to."

"I know." Amélie handed it over and kept her eyes trained on Angela as she opened it to explore what was inside. "It's just soup and salad. Something to help you recharge."

But it wasn't  _just_  soup and salad. It was her favorite soup Basler Mehlsuppewhich couldn't be found just anywhere. She had to intentionally go out of her way to get this soup for her. She didn't know what to say or think. Things like this reignited those romantic feelings she was trying like hell to ignore and only added to her awkwardness. This was the type of gesture that made her want to wrap her arms around Amélie and plant a soft kiss on her forward for thinking of her. Instead she stood there awkwardly smiling. "Thank you."

Something crossed Amélie's face like she too was contemplating something but ultimately decided against it. "I'd hoped you'd like it. I had Malik take me to several places before I was able to find it."

"Wow. This is...you didn't have to go to the trouble."

"It was no trouble and I wanted to. For you."

And there it was, the tingles running up and down her spine and arms. Why did Amélie have to be so thoughtful and so damn cute? Angela wondered if she understood how hard this had been for her, to try to put an end to the suggestive thoughts that ran through her mind, to not think of that kiss, reevaluating it every time to determine if she missed something. Gestures like this only reinforced them and made it that much harder to go back to the way things originally were, back when she only saw Amélie as a friend.

"Is something wrong?"

Angela hadn't realized that her thoughts had been written all over her face. She plastered her smile back on as she reached in the bag to open the soup. "A little tired is all." She held up the bowl of soup. "This should help with that though."

Angela hurriedly dug into the bag and grabbed the spoon to dig in. The heaven that washed across her mouth was indescribable. She hadn't had basler mehlsuppe in years. It always brought her back to the warmest moments of her childhood before her family was ripped away from her. The soup was so much more than just a meal for her. It was a whole experience. 

"I take it you like it. Good. I've never had it so I didn't know if it would be to your liking or not."

"It's perfect," Angela said after swallowing another mouthful.

"I wish I could stay to watch you finish but I must be going. But before I go, I wanted to ask you about the fundraiser. You'll be there, right?"

The fundraiser, yes. She always hated those things but was required to attend to represent Overwatch, to explain the good work they were doing for the world. Angela was never one for crowds. Often times she'd duck off into a corner until she worked up the nerve to leave altogether. She didn't see this time being much different. "It's required so yes."

"Great. So will I. I was thinking that maybe we could do something after."

"Something like what?"

Amélie shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Just something together."

Angela gave her a quizzical look. There was something about the way she said  _together_  that got those thoughts running again. "What about Gérard?"

"Don't worry about him. Are you up for it or not?"

Was she up for it? Did she really have to ask? But before she could respond Amélie's phone was going off. She pulled it out of her pocket glancing only briefly at the screen before making her way to the door. "I've got to go. I'll see there, yes?"

Angela nodded as she watched Amélie strut out the door, her eyes involuntarily glued to her jeans as she did. Yes, she thought as she took another spoonful of her soup, casual attire did wonders for Amélie. 

Appearance was never something Angela spent much time thinking about not even for special events such as the fundraiser. But for this particular one she decided to put a little more effort into how she looked. There were only three dresses in her closet and she could barely recall the last time she'd wore any of them. And out of those three only one was nice enough for the fundraiser. The perfect black dress. It was shorter than she preferred, stopping mid-thigh and exposing a good portion of her legs. There was also the fact that the back was out which was not ideal. Then there were the heels, proven torture for feet and bad for bone development. Not to mention how uncomfortable it was to feel like she was going to slide down a hill every time she took a step. But she decided to wear them anyway just this once. As she stood in the mirror evaluating the small amount of makeup she'd applied, the foundation, eyeliner, a mild red tint to bring some life to her lips, she found herself wondering what Amélie would say when she saw her. Not that this transformation had been for her or anything. That simply wasn't the case, was it? No, no, of course not. It was simply to make a change, switch things up. She was allowed to do that.

Upon arrival she was greeted by several people before she really had the chance to get inside. One offered to take her coat, the next handed over a glass of champagne despite her protests. The third professed to be a fan of her work and wanted to discuss a new medication they were working on. After all her input was valuable though Angela wasn't exactly sure why. Despite her licenses, education, and resume she still found her work often criticized based on her age alone. So why was she suddenly of interest to these people? She entertained the conversation for nearly twenty minutes, though honestly, she'd only been interested for about ten before coming to the conclusion that this researcher was taking the wrong approach for this medication. The last half of the conversation she spent shifting from foot to foot and trying to decide on a believable excuse to get away. 

She eventually found it in a sharp glance her way from Amélie. She was across the room, her arm wrapped tightly around Gérard’s arm, palm light pressed against his bicep as he spoke to a large group. Angela recognized some of them. Agents from the field, some were of higher command. When she locked eyes with Amélie the most alluring smile found her face as she nodded with her head, signaling for her to come over. Her deep black hair was down and as straight as the edge of a knife. The color on her lips was a deep red like the color of merlot and brought out the sharpness of her cheekbones and chin. She was simply gorgeous. Not to mention her evening gown made Angela feel underdressed despite how good she looked. Whoever said brands were just about the name had clearly lied. She quickly apologized to the researcher in front of her explaining that her attention was needed elsewhere. 

She integrated the circle smoothly catching the end of Gérard’s gloating about a recent successful mission. “We’re picking them apart piece by piece. In time Talon will no longer be a problem for us. I’ll make sure of it,” he’d said in that confident boisterous voice that commanded attention. And the circle of people began the ass kissing. The compliments of his leadership and skills, his dedication to the mission. Commander material for sure, he was one to look out for. Angela didn’t know a lot about the team Gérard was working with only that their main focus was Talon. The name was often spoken around the office but really most people didn’t know much about them other than they were the bad guys. She imagined she’d be briefed more thoroughly when she began going out in the field, but right now they weren’t her concern. She watched Amélie as her fingers released Gérard’s arm, her other hand wrapped around the neck of a champagne glass. She then began to gradually inch away from him as he got more into his discussion, easing back until her shoulder was brushing against Angela’s and her scent was assaulting her nostrils.

Her breath was warm against her cheek. “You’re finally here. I’ve been listening to this for an hour,” she said with a quick roll of her eyes. “I’m bored.”

Angela chuckled lightly. “Disadvantage of being married to a hero?”

Amélie shrugged. “Perhaps.” Her eyes then began to thoroughly examine Angela from her head to her toes and back up again, inching over her slowly, deliberately, taking in every detail. Angela folded her arms over her chest suddenly feeling insecure. She knew that her appearance didn’t compare to Amélie’s and she wondered what criticism she’d offer. But to her surprise there was none. After a sip of her champagne she simply said, “Breathtaking.”

“What?” Angela asked with a raised brow.

“You.”

Angela struggled to swallow as heat rose underneath her skin. “You’re much too kind.”

“Am I? Have you not seen yourself?”

Angela let out an uncomfortable laugh, a display of her insecurity. “I’ve seen you.” 

There was a small pause as Amélie leaned down so that her lips were nearly grazing her ear. Her voice was smooth and husky as she asked, “Do you like what you see?”  

Angela backed away, jumped really, from the electricity that ran through her body. What was that? Amélie chuckled in response to her reaction clearly pleased with what she’d done. But Angela didn’t find this funny. Was she toying with her now? Knowing how she felt? Or at least some implication of it. She wasn’t sure what to think especially not when Amélie winked at her before easing away and rejoining her husband who’d been glancing back at her ever since she left his side. She resumed her duties as the beautiful wife with the gorgeous smile and infectious laughter, pretended to be interested in his war tales. And still she took the moments to look back at Angela with quick glances and knowing looks as if trying to tell the doctor something. Angela’s mind immediately went to the champagne. How much had she had? And was that the cause of this...whatever this was? 

Whatever it was she didn’t want to deal with it now so she eased out of the circle as quickly as she eased into it, feeling Amélie’s eyes on her as she did. She’d planned to visit the next room, maybe find McCree or Morrison to talk to and distract her but someone else caught her intention instead. Moira. She cringed when she looked at her face, another reminder of what she’d done. Her nose wasn’t too swollen but that didn’t mean it didn’t look awful. It looked like it was taking up her entire face especially with the braces in place. Not to mention the redness of her eyes. And the way her brows were arched let her know that she was clearly irritated with whatever was taking place in the social circle she was in. Initially Angela thought it best to avoid the situation entirely knowing Moira wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her after what had happened the other day. But her legs kept moving especially when she heard her name come up. Curiosity got the best of her as she began to listen in on the conversation.

"I mean, I'm all for giving humanity an edge, but I believe there is a way to do everything. Certain precautions must be taken. I believe your colleague has a better understanding of this,” she heard a short older woman say. She knew of this woman, had read much of her research. She was well respected in the field of biology.

 "I believe you are referring to Dr. Angela Ziegler," Moira said as her brows crinkled even more. 

The woman nodded. "That is correct. I've been particularly interested in her studies of nanobiology and a recent success she had repairing a leg that was not believed to be viable by medical standards."

Angela’s gaze went to Moira whose fists were clenching and releasing repeatedly. She didn’t know exactly what Moira was trying to do here but she felt like maybe she could help by vouching for her so she did so by sliding through the small crowd and linking her arm with Moira’s. By the way Moira tensed she knew that she was the last person she expected or even wanted to see but she didn’t pull away.

"That event that you are referring to actually would not have been possible without the help of Dr. O'Deorain here. She was very helpful in making that surgery a success." The statement wasn’t a complete lie. Yes, she could’ve had the same results without Moira’s help, but that didn’t change the fact that Moira had in fact helped her with that surgery. It had to count for something or at least she thought it would. But this woman had no interest in Moira that much was clear by how she deflected every compliment Angela tried to throw out for her. In fact, it seemed like the more Angela tried the less interested the woman became. Before long she was gone taking her crowd with her leaving behind a very agitated Moira and that familiar guilt Angela had been trying to avoid. She thought of McCree’s words, how he told her that maybe Moira needed to learn some lesson for her behavior. But now with the way Moira’s eyes burned into her from behind that battered nose she just couldn’t find it in her to channel that same justification.

Her lips trembled as she said, “I’m sorry.”

But the way Moira rolled her eyes let her know a simple apology wasn’t going to cut it. “What was that?”

“I was trying to help you.”

Moira made it very clear she wasn’t interested in any help Angela had to offer. She touched her fingers to her nose and Angela couldn’t help following with her eyes. When Moira caught her staring she quickly scoffed and attempted to storm off. Angela grabbed her before she could do so though, gripping her wrist as tightly as she could and spinning her around. She needed her to know how bad she felt about what she’d done despite what everyone said. It wasn’t who she was, wasn’t who she wanted to become and she needed Moira to know that. But the words just weren’t coming to her the way she needed them to. She tripped and stumbled over each one until finally Moira said, “I think you made yourself quite clear the other day. I told you how I felt and you broke my nose. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.”

A deep sigh escaped her lips. It wasn’t as black and white for her as Moira was making it seem. If she were to be honest she’d let Moira know that she’d run those words through her head every day since she said them. She knew that it hadn’t been easy for Moira to say what she said to her and she appreciated her for having the courage to verbalize it. And if she was going strictly off her heart alone it would’ve been enough to forgive and give another chance. But she’d dealt with Moira enough to know that her heart couldn’t be the only one in control. There needed to be room for her brain to put an end to the heartbreak that she kept being dealt at her hands. So, though a large part of her wanted to give the geneticist another chance, she knew that it just wasn't in her best interest to do so and she verbalized as much. 

She wasn’t sure how she expected Moira to react to the news. Maybe she expected her to grab her by her neck again or to yell at her, maybe even strike her in her face, payback for what she’d done. Whatever it was she expected to happened didn’t. Moira didn’t say much at all, didn’t even really react. She simply left her standing in the middle of the room alone to run her words back through her mind and ponder whether there was a better way she could’ve worded things. She let out a deep sigh as a waiter crossed her path offering a flute of champagne. Normally she would’ve turn him down but this time she greedily grabbed two, downing one without hesitation and swirling the second. She would be up to three glasses for the night if she were to finish the second. 

The second one went down smoother than the two previous glasses but wasn’t enough to wash away the uneasiness she felt. It had barely been an hour and she was ready to go. It was time to find a quiet place to sneak away. The first to come to mind was a balcony to the left of the room. She hadn’t seen many people head out that way and thought it a great spot to catch her breath and regroup. What she didn’t expect to find was Amélie and Moira standing toe to toe in a stand off. The look on Moira’s face she’d seen many times before usually appearing right before she was about to tear into someone. But Amélie, she’d never seen this side of her, had never seen her truly angry before. Amélie looked as if she’d stab Moira repeatedly if she had a knife and would feel no remorse for it. What had happened here? She tried to think of something to say to get answers, maybe defuse the situation, but her mouth ran dry and instead she stood there with her lips slightly parted frozen in place.

Luckily Moira felt her presence and looked her way. She took several steps back as she did, releasing her fists. Then there was Amélie who looked like she’d just been released from a trance. She plastered a smile on her face, tried her best to make it look genuine but Angela saw right through it. Her eyes gave her away and they were still very agitated. 

Angela cleared her throat and took one step forward. “What is this?”

“Friendly chatter,” Amélie said while trying to expand that smile. Moira on the other had offered nothing as she eyed Angela sharply before pushing past her and disappearing back inside of the building. For a moment nothing was said. Angela remained planted where she was as Amélie walked in a small circle running her fingers through her hair clearly deep in thought. The air around them was cold and caused goosebumps to rise on Angela’s skin. She rubbed her arms cursing her decision to wear this dress with her back exposed. She chewed on her bottom lip and took shallow breaths as she watched Amélie continue to pace. Finally, she decided it was time to break the silence. “Amélie.”

Amelie paused and looked at her, her eyes almost glowing in the moonlight. The anger was gone now replaced with vulnerability that Angela didn’t know Amélie was capable of displaying.

“What was that?”

Amélie sucked her bottom lip and toyed with her fingers as her eyes floated to their surroundings, the navy sky and barely visible stars drowned out by artificial light. “Do you really hate smokers?”

Angela’s brow raised. She was suddenly aware of the scent of nicotine surrounding her. 

“I smoke sometimes. Thought you should know that.”

“Oh.” Angela wasn’t sure how to respond to the confession. “Okay.”

“Usually when I'm stressed. Haven’t for a while. But tonight—”

Angela nodded. “You were smoking out here.”

Amélie nodded as well. “Yes.”

“Why are you stressed?” she was hoping the answer to this question would also go towards explaining what exactly had occurred between Amelie and Moira. But instead of offering more information Amélie seemed to shut down again. She turned her back to Angela, her hands gripping the railing so tight that her knuckles went pale. Angela took several steps towards her, got close enough to rest her hand on Amélie’s shoulder. “Are you alright, Amélie?”

Angela felt a shudder run through Amélie’s body before she pulled away from her ever so slightly. “Is it true that you did that to her face?”

Now Angela was the one avoiding eye contact. 

Amélie nodded in acknowledgement as a small smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve grown tired of this place,” she said in a low voice. “Do you want to leave with me?”

Angela thought it over. She usually tried to stay a couple of hours before making her escape but given the evening’s events she figured she could make an exception. Besides she was eager to know what was going on with Amélie. So with a quick nod of her head she held her arm out to her. “Lead the way.”

The ride had been long and quiet. Angela had expected a quick conversation with Gérard before they left. The wasn’t one. A part of her also hoped to get a glimpse of Moira so she could have a quick conversation with her. She didn’t know what she’d say but she felt something needed to be said. That didn’t happen either. Instead they headed straight to the SUV where Malik stood outside of the building waiting patiently for instructions. Amélie gave him an address then got into the vehicle sitting straight up and poised, her body almost glued to the door. A valley was between her thigh and Angela’s almost as if she was doing her best to keep her distance. Angela tried to ignore how self-conscious it made her feel especially as the champagne began to have an effect on her. Drunk? No, but a bit tipsy enough to appreciate the way the world’s colors coalesced through the foggy window her head was resting against. Every so often she found herself glancing over at Amélie and once, right before the vehicle came to a stop, she met her gaze with a very concerned look in her eye. It made Angela want to wrap her arms around her and pull her close.

When the car stopped Angela recognized the building immediately. It was the studio where Amélie taught. She got out first, her steps very careful as she navigated the side walk as if she was afraid was falling. It wasn’t as graceful as her usual prance leaving Angela to believe she was indeed intoxicated as well. Angela followed doing her best not to stumble in the heels. The damned heels. When they got inside the first thing she noticed was the acoustics. Every step they took, every breath exhaled bounced off the walls like a boomerang. Amélie led the way into a dark dance hall. “Give me a moment,” she said softly before disappearing leaving Angela standing in the doorway. In the moments that followed dim lights were raised and Amélie reappeared, her evening attired replaced by tight spandex pants and teal shirt. Her hair was put up, her feet bare. She brought a lone chair and placed it near the front of the room.

Angela looked at her with a raised brow. “You’re going to dance now?”

A small smile found its way to Amélie’s face. “I’d like to show you something if that’s alright with you.”

Angela wasn’t sure what to do or think but she agreed all the same. Amélie grabbed her hand and walked her to the empty chair before gesturing for her to take a seat. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she watched Amélie walk over the stereo across the room. She wondered what kind of dance she was planning on showing her. Would it be something intimate for her eyes only? Angela shook her head dismissing the thought. That was just wishful thinking she told herself. 

The soft whispers of a lone piano stole her away from those thoughts. There was something incredibly empty and hollow about the notes that rang out reminiscent of a distracted mind and Amélie’s movements only played up that feeling. The distant gaze she’d had on the rooftop returned as she danced slowly in front of Angela, her eyes glazed over as if her mind was somewhere else. Angela was entranced with Amélie’s movement. Her mind worked overtime trying to dissect the meaning of it all. Just what was troubling Amélie so much? She wasn’t aware of any issues aside from some minor venting about work and Gérard’s minor annoyances. And maybe this was all just for the performance. Maybe this was her taking on a role like the actors do. But somewhere in the middle of the performance Amélie ceased her movements even as the notes continued to ring out around them. She stood in front of Angela, mere feet away with her eyes closed. Angela wasn’t sure what to do so she simply sat there. 

“You’ll have to excuse me,” Amélie said barely loud enough for Angela to hear. “I’m a bit distracted.”

Angela rubbed her arms nervously. “By what?”

The music stopped and silence threatened to deafen them. Amélie’s eyes opened and found Angela’s. Angela couldn’t help the shudder than ran down her spine as Amélie careful walked towards her replacing the feet between them with inches. In the silence her breaths echoed off the wall and revealed something else Angela had never seen Amélie show before. Fear. Her red lips quivered before she bit down on them, made it stop. Then she spoke again barely audible. “I wanted to show you this choreography to get some input before I show it to my girls. It will serve as a parting gift of sorts.”

“Parting gift?” Angela asked looking up at Amélie who was now towering over her. “What do you mean?”

A heavy sigh escaped Amélie’s lips. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few weeks. There’s been a lot weighing on me. Whether to be selfish and fulfilled or selfless and unsatisfied. I’ve decided on the former.” She kneeled down in front of Angela and took her hands into her own, her thumbs rubbing across the pads of Angela’s fingers. “I’ve decided to rejoin my company. I leave in a month.”

Angela’s mouth ran dry. She wasn’t sure of how to respond. She knew that Amélie wasn’t completely satisfied with her teaching job but it had been a while since she’d mentioned her company. She didn’t realize she was still considering rejoining them. With her mind still struggling to process the news she simply echoed what had been said to her. “You leave in a month.”

Amélie nodded. 

“For how long?”

Amélie looked away at that. “When I accepted the offer I thought it would make me feel better. It would get me away, give me space to think.”

“Think about what?”

Amélie’s teeth dug into her bottom lip again and Angela was almost certain she’d draw blood this time. She took several strong breaths before saying one simple word. “You.”

“What about me?” 

Amélie’s eyes floated to the floor. “Your doctor friend, as infuriating as she may be, was right about one thing.”

Angela’s mind went back to the tense scene she’d walked in on out on the balcony. “What is that?”

“The way that I feel about you.”

Now Angela was really at a loss for words. Her chest tightening as she struggled to breathe. Was this really happening? Was Amélie really telling her what she thought she was? She couldn’t help the elation that washed over her, but just as quickly as it came it went away. The look on Amélie’s face told her this was no easy confession and the implications of it would be no better. Yes, Amélie may have returned her feelings but what did that mean? There was still Gérard to think about and now she would be leaving soon. Not to mention Angela would be doing much traveling herself in the near future. So, what did that leave them with if anything at all? Angela placed her palms on Amélie’s cheeks and gently tilted her head upwards so that she’d have to do look at her. There was minor resistance but eventually Amélie’s eyes met hers and Angela became aware of the dampness threatening to fall from them.

“That night I kissed you...you kissed me back.”

Amélie swallowed hard. “I did.”

“Then you pulled away.”

She nodded softly. “Yes.”

“And now you’re telling me this. Why?”

“Because...because I'm not sure what to do anymore. I’d hoped that I could handle this on my own. Maybe I could make myself not feel these things that I've been feeling. But now I'm leaving and you, you’ll be out there in the middle of war zones and I, I hadn’t planned on saying any of this tonight. But that  _Moira_ , she started saying these things and I figured if she knew then...” Amélie shook her head as she struggled to get her words together. 

“Moira knows?”

Amélie nodded as the first tear fell. “She said that she realized it when we were in your office that day.”

_Moira knows_. Angela repeated that several times in her mind. Moira knew it before she did. Talk about irony. But if Moira knew did... “Gérard?”

Amélie shook her head. “He hasn’t said anything.”

Angela released a sigh of relief. But still she had Amélie on her knees in front of her silently breaking down and she didn’t know what to think. So, she didn’t think, just pushed the chair back so that she was also on her knees and wrapped her arms around her. Amélie didn’t make a sound but she felt the warmth of her tears against her chest and the sweet scent of her hair tickled for nose. And for a long silence moment she just sat there with Amélie held against her chest listening to the shudders of her chest as she struggled to breathe until she felt her palms against her. The kiss that followed she didn’t expect but she welcomed it all the same this time relishing ever part of it. It was slow and steady as if time was an endless construct, much different than the first kiss. It started as a timid touch and turned into a warm embrace. She made note of just how soft Amélie’s lips were against her own and their thickness that felt like pillows against her thin lips. And the way she breathed into her as if she was putting all of herself into this union, Angela took it all in wanting to remember as much as she could for later daydreams. She felt Amélie’s hands snake around her waist and run up her spine. Instinctually she wrapped her arms around her neck pulling her closer.

Then somewhere in the mist of it all the room began to spin. Nothing crazy just a subtle turn like that of a carousel as Amélie nudged her ever so slightly placing her on her back. Angela found herself wondering just how far this would go as her fingers found the edges of Amélie’s shirt and began to ease it up. Amélie showed no signs of halting anything especially not with her fingers lifting Angela’s dress over her hips so that her body could fit comfortably between her legs. It was so unlike what she’d been used to with Moira. There was a tenderness about Amélie that Moira didn’t possess. Not that it made either bad, just different, and this difference she welcomed. She welcomed Amélie’s palm sliding up and down her thigh moving from inside and out as if try to work up the nerve to explore the area between them. She welcomed the hot breaths on her neck as her teeth gently tugged at her skin. She welcomed the knee, much braver than the palm, that was pushing against her mound with more force as she became more confident.

Angela didn’t mean for the whimpers to escape her throat but they did with more desperation each time. It was the same for her rebellious hips which moved against her will to meet the pressure of Amélie’s knee. She felt the tiny beads of sweat begin to sprout under her skin and push their way to the surface as she whimpers and moved now with urgency feeling her release on the horizon. And then she did it. Amélie pulled her knee away only for a brief moment to replace it with two meticulous fingers and a thumb on her clit. Amélie gazed down upon her as she worked refusing to allow her to escape her gaze. It was as if she needed to see what she was doing to Angela as much as Angela needed her to do it. She felt herself losing control, her teeth gritting, body shaking as Amélie embraced her with her free hand, whispering in her ear. She didn’t know what she’d said, was too far gone to decipher the words. She simply wrapped her arms around her body and help her close until she felt herself breathing and her body began to relax.

Then came the silence and realization of what had just taken place. They were again surrounded by the thick silence only interrupted by the gentle hums of their breaths bouncing off the walls. Amélie was still watching her with soft eyes and a tender hand on her cheek. Angela’s eyes couldn’t help but fall on the glistening diamond ring on her finger. She looked away as she lifted herself long enough to pull her dress down over her bottom. Then she pushed herself up and wrapped her arms around her knees as she did. Amélie sat away from but never stopped gazing, searching for direction.

“What are you feeling?” she finally asked after a while.

Angela pondered the question. Shame was the first thing to come to mind. Shame that she’d allowed herself to let go so freely without restraint, shame that she’d crossed the line with someone who was promised to another, shame that she couldn’t say she wouldn’t do it again. The last part was what hit the hardest because as she looked up at Amélie’s concerned eyes all she wanted do was pull her close and start it all over again. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head. “I don’t know what to feel.”

Amélie nodded softly. “Are you upset with me?”

Angela twirled her thumbs and looked down at the floor as she slowly shook her head.

A relieved sigh left Amélie’s lips. She rose to her feet with grace and held out her hand. Angela wasn’t sure what to think but she followed her lead anyway, grabbed her hand and stood with her. “Where are we going?” she asked as Amélie lead her out of the ballroom.

“Somewhere more private.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello World! This chapter is the longest so far by like 2000 words. The continuation of their night and the morning after was all I planned to initially write but it kind of snowballed from there. Back to Moira next chapter. Going start getting this plot moving a little faster. Thank you guys for all of the comments and kudos! You provide me with much needed inspiration to continue writing so thank you guys so much. Hope you enjoy! Happy reading :)

The car ride that followed differed from the first in that the valley between them no longer existed. Angela’s thigh was warmed by the spandex of Amélie’s tights and the heat that radiated underneath. But other than the thigh contact they did not touch which created tension of a different kind. Angela found her eyes floating to the rear-view mirror constantly, expecting to find Malik’s scrutinizing eyes. But not once did she meet his gaze. Still she wondered if he too knew things, if he had picked it up the way Moira had. And if he had would he tell his employer? The thought raised Angela’s anxiety. She didn’t know what was more troubling, her fear of being discovered or the strained patience that was keeping her from touching Amélie the way she wanted to. Both caused her to tremble in her seat and twiddle her fingers in a failed attempt to calm her nerves. Out the corner of her eye she could tell Amélie was having a similar struggle. Though she appeared much more composed than Angela there was still worry on her face. Perhaps it came from leaving the fundraiser without a word to her husband, though Angela noticed it come out more when she gave Malik Angela’s address as their destination. She also told him that he’d be free to go after they reached their destination which was answered with a raised brow followed by, “Yes, Madam.” The raised brow was what caught Angela attention and undoubtedly Amélie’s. 

When they pulled in front of the apartment building neither woman moved immediately. There were several gazes exchanged between them, a silent conversation. The nervous float of blue eyes.  _Are you sure about this?_  Answered with a slow nod and a flash of confidence from brown ones.  _I’m sure._

Angela got out first, her arms wrapped tightly around her body as the cold air ripped into her. Amélie eased out next before leaning inside and exchanging more words with Malik. Angela couldn’t hear what she said, but she did make out Malik’s thunderous voice speak another, “Yes, Madam,” before she closed the back door and he pulled away from the curb. She came to Angela linking their arms and followed her inside. The warmth of the hallway was welcomed. Angela could feel her body relax as they approached the elevator. While they waited for it to descend Amélie reached for her hand, locked their fingers. Angela had no control over the smile that spread across her face. She leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Amélie’s cheek when the doors opened before them.

Inside they both leaned against the back wall with their fingers still interlocked now with Angela’s head on her Amélie’s shoulder. “This is nice,” she looking down at their hands.

“It is,” Amélie said as she brought their hands up to put a quick kiss on the back of Angela’s. “I’ve thought of holding your hand on many occasions. It is nice to finally be able to do so.”

“Same.” Angela gave her hand a quick squeeze before continuing. “What did you tell Malik before he left?”

“We have an agreement between us. He is only to tell Gérard what is necessary. He understands that. In exchange I allot him free time while on the clock that he would not normally have.”

“Oh.” Angela’s eyes floated back up to Amélie. “What else does he hide for you?”

“My meetings with the owners of my company before we came to an agreement for my return. And my smoking. The list isn’t long.”

"Hmm. About the smoking—”

“It’s bad for me and you hate it, I know. I’ll stop, I promise.”

“You’re not just saying that?”

Amélie shook her head. “I mean it.”

A small smile came across Angela’s face. She hadn’t said anything initially because she was in too much shock before but the smoking was not going to work for her. Moira had had the same nasty habit when they met and it took forever to get her to break it. If she had to she’d do the same with Amélie, anything to not have to smell that smell or taste the smoky staleness on her tongue.

The elevator doors opened. Hand in hand both women stepped out and made their way to Angela’s apartment. Angela already had the key in her hand when they got to the door. She was proud of herself. The apartment was clean for the most part, not as messy as the first time Amélie had come over. Sure there were things she could’ve straightened up if she’d known Amélie would be coming over later that evening but it was still far from the filth she’d seen before. Amélie’s eyes combed over her place carefully as she stepped in taking in the lack of shoes strewn out on the carpet and the neatly stacked journals on the coffee table in the living room. There were no dishes in the kitchen sink but there were a few empty takeout containers on the counter. Angela quickly disposed of them.

“Do you ever cook for yourself?” Amélie asked after she did so.

“Um...”

Amélie chuckled before shaking her head. “And you lecture me on healthy habits.”

“I don’t have time to cook. And even if I did I still wouldn’t. Takes too long. I have no patience for it.”

“Doesn’t have to take long.”

Angela folded her arms over her chest. “I take it you cook often.”

Amélie shrugged. “Not every day. More since I've been here. I could cook for you if wanted.”

“Don’t say that. I’d have to hold you to it.” 

Amélie took several careful steps towards Angela cornering in the crevice between two countertops. “I would hope so.” 

Angela felt a shudder run through her. She could feel the heat rising in her ears and spread across her skin as Amélie brought her face close to hers. Her arms wrapped instinctively around her neck as she gazed in her eyes. A small smirk crept on Amélie’s lips.

“You look as if you’re expecting something.”

Angela bit on her bottom lip for a moment before responding. “We found somewhere more private.”

Amélie looked around the room. “So we have.”

“So...”

“So...?”

Angela looked down at her feet feeling that embarrassment rising. Was she really going to make her say it? “I just thought maybe we would...” She felt Amélie’s fingers on her chin nudging her face up and forcing her to reconnect their eye contact. Angela took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  _You can do this_ , she told herself.  _Don’t make this awkward. Just go for it_. So she did. Like the first time they kissed she pressed her lips against Amélie’s only this time it wasn’t a gentle nudge. This time there was urgency behind her actions. She felt Amélie’s fingers walking along her spine. The feel of Amélie’s body pressed against her own was even better than it’d been on the studio floor. Back there had so much uncertainty and doubt it’d felt like walking on eggshells. Now it was simply electrifying knowing that they both wanted this, both needed this.

Amélie abruptly pulled away from her and placed her hands on Angela’s shoulder swiveling her around. Then her fingers were searching for the zipper of the dress, eager to release her. Angela reached behind her and grabbed her hand to lead her in the right direction until she felt Amélie’s fingers tug down and the dress let go of its grasp on her. And then there was tender touches, Amélie’s palms running over her shoulders and down her arm, over the plain of her torso and up to her breasts. In a deep husky voice, she told her for the second time of the evening that she was, “Simply breathtaking.” And this time, despite the pessimistic low self-esteem that tried to ruin the moment, Angela believed her. Initially she had brought her arms up to cover her chest, but she decided to let them fall at her waist side when she turned to face Amélie again, allowing herself to be completely vulnerable. The twinkle in Amélie’s eye let her know that she was grateful for this display of vulnerability. 

“Your turn,” Angela said as her fingers found the rim of Amélie’s shirt. Amélie didn’t protest. Instead she lifted her arms with a confident smile, made it easy for Angela to undress her. And just like Angela, Amélie too had decided to forgo a bra this evening. Angela took her in with hungry eyes and eager hands. Her breasts weren’t large but they were full and soft against her palms. She took one nipple in her mouth while toying with the rim of Amélie’s pants slowly easing them below her hips and down her thighs. She felt Amélie’s hands on the back of her head, heard her throaty sighs, her motivation. A part of her wondered if she was appearing too greedy in this moment. If so she didn’t care. She’d wanted this for far too long to be slow about it now. So she made her way down her torso leaving quick kisses in her wake until she was on her knees and Amélie’s pants were down with her. Looking up at her she felt like a humble peasant kneeling before her queen, eager to please her royal highness. Amélie’s grin only reinforced that feeling as she asked, “How would you like me?”

Angela lifted her legs one by one, pulled the pants away then found the counters she’d been cornered between. “Up here.”

Amélie nodded softly before hopping up on the counter, crossing her legs as she did. “Here?”

Angela gripped each of her thighs and sent them their separate ways. “Yes.” She saw the glistening wetness like an early morning dew before she got a good look at the petals from which it’d sprang. She kneeled before her again getting a strong whiff of her intoxicating scent for the first time. It was more powerful than any alcohol she’d consumed, made her head spin and want to get lost in the valley between this Frenchwoman's legs. A quick glance up let her know that Amélie was watching her every move, anxiety sprouting in her eyes and her quivering lips.

“Do you like what you see?” she asked with a shaky voice.

“You wouldn’t be able to fathom how much.” Angela used her pointer finger to part the dampness.

Amélie shuddered at her touch. “Try me.”

Angela shushed her as she played in the moisture between her legs.

“I want to know your thoughts, Angela.” Amélie’s voice was cracking almost into a whimper.

“I’ve never been great with words.” This was true, Angela had never been the best at verbally expressing herself. So she decided she’d just have to use her mouth for another purpose instead. The sharp gasp that escaped Amélie’s lips told her she was pleased with her decision. Angela imagined the bliss she was feeling was much like that of a person trying ice cream for the first time. Or maybe chocolate. Candy? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was her taste buds had been set ablaze. She started with long deliberate licks from her opening up to her clit and back down. She wanted to experience Amélie’s flavor all over her tongue, the sweetness on the tip, the sourness on the sides, the bitterness in the back. She kept her pace up for a bit, relishing this experience the best she could until she felt Amélie’s hand on the back of her head.

“I. Need. More.” 

The words sent a shudder down Angela’s spine.  _More_. She could do that and she did by increasing her pace and adding a finger to her oozing center. That brought some melody to Amélie’s husky breaths. It was the sweetest sound Angela had ever heard and the best motivation. Amélie moved against her so fluidly her hand still firmly on the back of Angela’s head slowly building the pressure. Angela couldn’t move if she wanted which was fine because she had no intentions of leaving her spot, not even when Amélie’s moans began to sound muffled and her access to oxygen grew scarce. She added another finger when she heard her name slip from Amélie’s lips. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard and she wanted to hear it again. It became the very thing that drove her. Every thrust, every lick all dedicated to hearing it again even if it was muffled through the tightness of Amélie’s thighs around her ears. Even as her arm grew sore and she struggled to breath Angela kept going eager to satisfy Amélie’s desperate need. She kept going until she felt Amélie shudder against her and sing her name multiple times. “Angela. Angela.  _Mon_ _dieu_ , Angela.” Angela made a mentally note of the French. She hardly ever heard Amélie speak it. 

A little at a time she was released. First Amélie’s hand fell away from her head then her legs became undone. She waited long enough for Angela to get back to her feet before pulling her to her and tasting herself on her lips. After a moment she said, “ _Tu es_ _incroyable_.”

Angela smiled as she placed tender kisses on her forehead. “This is what it takes to get you to drop your English?”

Amélie scoffed. “You think you’re funny?”

“Observant actually. I like the French by the way.”

Amélie chuckled lightly. “I try to focus more on my English here. It hasn’t always been as good as it is now.”

“I think you’ve perfected it enough.”

“Do you now?”

Angela nodded. “I do.”

Amélie hopped off the counter and grabbed Angela’s hand as she made a path to her bedroom. “How about I tell you more as you show me this bed of yours?”

Angela beamed as they made their way through the door, her body tingling as Amélie spread out like a wingless angel on her bed. “Gladly.”

The sun was bright and unforgiving as it forced its way through the slits of Angela’s eyes. Even as she clenched them shut she could still feel that sting from the first contact. She groaned, shifting and stretching her body until it occurred to her that there was too much empty space. Eyes still shut she felt around for a warm body next to her but there wasn’t one. Now she decided to endure the sun as she sat up and examined the room. It was back to its usual state, pillows and blankets strewn on the floor. A small smile crept of her face as she heard the echoes of Amélie’s moans in her head. She could still smell her on her skin, taste her on her lips. She wished she could relieve that night over and over make it all happen again. If only Amélie was still there. That was when her other senses kicked in and she heard it, the water running in the bathroom and saw the light seeping out from underneath the door. A small sense of relief washed over her. Amélie hadn’t left her this time.

Angela released a small yawn and headed to the door her mind intent on surprising her lover with a warm embrace and soft morning kisses when she heard her voice through the door, muddled a bit by the water and the barrier but still clear enough for her to hear what was being said.

“I never said that I would stay. I told you I would attend and I did. I did what you asked.”

Angela paused for a moment, her heart beating strong in her chest. It only sped up when she heard the strong baritone respond, “For you to just leave like that without telling me...do you know how embarrassing it was to have people ask me where you’d gone? To have to lie for you. You embarrassed me.”

The phone was on speaker. Angela was wide awake now. She considered stepping away and allowing her to have this conversation in private. But the curiosity, she couldn’t ignore it. So she lightly pressed her ear to the door trying her best to hear more.

“Did you leave with Angela?” Gérard’s frustrated voice asked.

“I did.”

There was a long paused before he responded. “I’m sure you told her about your plans to leave? I’m sure she gave you the support that I didn’t. That’s what you were looking for, no? Is that why you didn’t come home? You’re with her?”

Running water, it was all Angela could hear.

“I feel you rebelling, Amélie.”

“I’m not a child.”

“I wasn’t implying you were.”

“Then don’t call it a rebellion. If you’d listened to me you would’ve seen this coming.”

Angela’s breath hitched in her chest. Where was this conversation going? 

“We are married, Amélie. We are supposed to consult with each other before making big decisions like this. You should’ve asked for my opinion, my feelings on the matter.”

“I have asked you and you’ve stated you’re against it. Why is it when my career comes into question a discussion is to be had but when it’s yours you are free to do as you please?”

“Lives depend on me! It’s different and you know it.”

The water stopped running. Angela froze. She debated whether she should ease away from the door or let her curiosity continue to rule her. She didn’t want Amélie to catch her like this but she also wanted to know how the conversation ended. So despite her better judgement she stay planted firmly in her place only now her ear was no longer pressed into the door. 

“Everyone’s life is always more important.”

A staticky groan could be heard from the other side. “That’s not fair.”

“Maybe not but it’s true.”

And then there was silence, true silence this time. Angela decided to walk away this time in search of something to cover her body with and an opportunity to process. She didn’t like the pain that echoed from Amélie’s voice during that conversation but she also wasn’t certain she could make it any better. Soon she would be no different than Gérard. She’d been gone too, maybe not as often but more than she was now. Gérard was right, what he did the lives he saved, it was far different than simply performing for a crowd. Not that she wanted to devalue Amélie’s work in any way, but she couldn’t say that if she were in Gérard’s shoes she’d be much different than he was. So then what was she doing? She pondered that as she rifled through her closet for a shirt and jogging pants, anything to minimize how exposed she was. This, whatever it was that had taken place with Amélie, it couldn’t continue at least not realistically. At the end of the day Amélie was still a married woman and even if she wasn’t she was no better of an option than the one Amélie already had. After slipping on her clothes she sat on the edge of the bed with her arms folded over her torso staring at the bathroom door. Not long after Amélie emerged, her hair damp and hanging along her bare shoulders. She was fully nude which would’ve been enough to catch Angela’s attention any other time. But the bothered look on her face, the scowl and the pout on her lips held her attention instead.

For a moment she simply stared at Angela her face unchanged until she decided to take a seat next to her and lean her head on her shoulder. A small sigh left her lips. “How long have you been awake?”

Angela wrapped her arm around her shoulder, pulling her against her. “Long enough.”

“You should’ve come and gotten me.”

Angela swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Amélie nodded. “You heard.”

“Some.”

Amélie’s fingers walked up and down Angela’s thigh slowly like the trek of a spider exploring its surroundings. “Do you think I'm selfish?”

Angela shook her head. “No.”

“Really?”

“It’s not selfish to have a passion you want to follow.”

“Even when that passion hurts the one you love?”

 _The one you love_. Angela cringed at the phrase, her body shifting away awkwardly. “I could never give up my work, not even for someone I loved.”

Amélie nodded again. “I’ve never asked him to stop what he does. I never would, not even when it’s difficult, when he’s away for months with no contact. It’s what he loves, I respect that. I only want that same respect.” Amélie then looked up at Angela as she gripped her thigh. “I also would not ask you to accept this, this situation that I've created, not if it's something that you're not okay with. If you’d like this to be just something that happened one night, I'll respect that.”

Angela’s brows furrowed as she considered the thought. “Is that what you want?”

Amélie bit her lip as she shook her head. “No.”

Angela considered her options. She could walk away from this, chalk it up to a lapse in judgment and try to salvage any sense of pride or morality she had left. But she couldn’t pull her eyes away from Amélie’s, the gold of the outer rings as they gradually grew darker the deeper she looked into them. She couldn’t act like last night didn’t happen or as if she didn’t want it to happen again. There was nothing right about this situation and certainly nothing easy. “Would you mind if I took time to think?”

Amélie nodded. “Of course.” She eased away from Angela and headed into the living room to find her clothes. Angela watched her the entire time as she dressed herself much slower and with more grace than she’d dressed her own self, and the way her hair flowed with her movements. She understood just why Amélie was a dancer. Everything she did had a certain fluidity to it. She was mesmerizing without even trying.

“Malik is on his way,” she called over her shoulder as she smoothed the fabric of her shirt over her torso. 

“Heading home?”

“The studio actually.” She ran her fingers through her hair before walking back into the bedroom and kneeling in front of Angela. She took her hands in her own, rubbed them with the edges of her thumbs. “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get away again.”

Angela swallowed hard. “I understand.”

She then felt those soft lips against her own again teasing the tender flesh and causing her cheeks to flush. “But as soon as I can you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”

Angela nodded. She understood, and though she wasn’t particularly fond of losing time with Amélie, especially with her upcoming departure on the horizon, she also welcomed the time to think and evaluate her place in this situation. She wasn’t entirely sure if it was something she could handle despite how strong her feelings for Amélie were. So she wrapped her arms around her, holding her close and steady and pressed her lips against hers once more just in case this was the last time she’d be able to do so.

“It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Angela Zielger!...crashing hard into the pavement. Ouch.” McCree cackled as he jogged over to Angela hunched over on the concrete, the brilliant blue of her suit scraped up, pieces of chipped off paint speckling the pavement. The glare that she shot him made him take a step back and throw his hands up. “Too much?”

Angela groaned and eased up on her knees. “Too much.” It had been nearly two weeks since her night with Amélie and she’d barely seen much of her. Just her luck that Gérard’s unit had been grounded for the lack couple of weeks. She found herself seeing way too much of him and far too less Amélie. It didn’t help that the air between her and Gérard had noticeably changed. He wasn’t his usually annoyingly peppy self. Instead he took a more formal approach, always referring to her as “doctor” and never even attempting to start a conversation. If it wasn’t for her situation with Amélie she would’ve welcomed the change but now all it did was increase her paranoia that he knew more than he needed to.

To pass the time she attempted to pour all of her attention into her work which worked for the most part. Training was going great, so well that Amari and Morrison were looking into testing her out on a mission soon. She’d also found a way to recreate her wand on a larger scale. She called it her caduceus staff which she was just about ready to reveal to Morrison and Amari. She’d even began allowing McCree to utilize it since he always seemed to get hurt somehow. Now it was just the suit. That’d damned suit. The armor was perfect. Lightweight, stylist, durable. The latter she’d discovered from the many times she’d fallen from the sky due to the most aggravating and failing aspect of it, the wings. She’d been working day and night to try to get the damn thing to fly but it just wasn’t happening. The longest she’d been able to stay airborne had been a little over three minutes and then she’d find herself freefalling hard into the ground. McCree often tried to point out the upside, like the fact that now they knew she’d definitely be able to take a hit in battle if she could survive twenty thousand kilometer fall from the sky. But that didn’t make her feel any better. Every time she fell she took it more and more personally. She didn’t understand why it was so hard. The wings weren’t too weak, the suit wasn’t too heavy. The system in the suit should’ve powered her flight. She’d gone over the spec many times.

Her body ached this time as she made it to her feet and wiped some lose strands of hair out of her eyes. She then shoved past McCree as she trudged back to her workbench to take a look at the computer and see just what had failed this time.

“Whoa there, no need to get violent.”

“Shut up, Jesse,” she growled as she analyzed the screen.

Jesse eased over to her, hesitating before placing his hand on her back. “Maybe a break’s in order.”

“I don’t need a break. I need to get this damned thing up in the air.”

“Maybe a break will help you refocus, y’know? Help clear that head a yours. Maybe get rid of some a that extra shit you got clouding things up in there.”

Angela scowled at him. “What are you getting at?”

“I don’t think the suit’s the only thing bothering you.” McCree’s eyes softened as he said this but Angela just shook her head.

“It’s the only thing that matters.”

“Sure about that?”

Angela parted her lips to respond but paused when she was noticed a figure standing off in the distance, a thin smirk on her face. Angela rolled her eyes. “Not now.”

McCree looked behind him and saw Moira slowly heading their way. 

“I hope I'm not interrupting.”

Angela sighed heavily. For the most part she and Moira managed to keep a distance from one another since the fundraiser. It wasn’t exactly on purpose per se but the distance was helpful. It alleviated the guilt that she had in regards to the situation with Moira and helped her to focus on other things, though she wasn’t sure if the things she’d chosen to focus on were any better than her issues with Moira. Still, having one less source of stress had been nice. 

“Ain’t seen you ‘round much,” McCree said with a cautious look.

“I’ve been busy with side projects. Had to take my work elsewhere since it’s not appreciated here.”

“That sorta thing’ll happen when your 'work' starts killing people.”

Moira’s eyes narrowed. “Reward rarely comes without risk.”

“Yeah, I'm sure that’ll make the families feel real good about their loses.”

With the flick of her hand Moira dismissed him and focused on Angela. She circled her as eyes ran over her careful taking in the small scars on her face and scrapes on her suit before she stopped in front of her and put her hands on her chin. Angela tried to avert her eyes from Moira scrutinizing gaze but she wouldn’t allow it. “I can help you with this, darling, if you’ll allow me.”

Angela swallowed hard. “How do you plan to do that?”

Another grin spread across Moira’s face. 

Out the corner of her eye Angela noticed one of Moira arms heading towards the wings of her suit. “What are you doing?” Then she felt it, a strong jolt of electricity flowing through her as she placed something against her temple. She immediately dropped to her knees groaning through clenched teeth. 

“What the hell did you just do!” McCree yelled.

But Moira simply waved her hand at him again. “Patience, child. Give her a second.”

Down on all fours the world around her was a painful blur. She could see Moira standing over her, McCree not far behind his nervous vocals echoing. Her heart raced as she struggled to make it to her feet. What had Moira done to her? Was this some kind of revenge for her rejection? Had she really gone this far? But as she got up to her feet the pain began to ease just a bit, her vision refocusing. She could see the confidence on Moira’s face and the worry on McCree’s as Moira told her to “Relax. Breathe. Deep breaths.”

She inhaled deeply holding air her lungs only a few seconds before letting it out. Then she repeated it, did it several times until she felt strong and back in control of herself. Her eyes narrowed at Moira as she forced her palms into her chest. “What did you do to me?”

But Moira’s grin was unwavering. In fact, it only seemed to spread as she said, “I gave you the gift of flight. Go on, fly my Angel.”

Angela’s eyes shifted from Moira to McCree before she took several steps away from them. She wasn’t sure if she could take another crash landing today, not with the way her body was aching. She took another deep breath trying to relax herself enough to try it again. There was a small button embedded into the front of her suit meant to put it in flight mode. She expected to be gentle boosted upward, a few meter initially then kilometer and so on but nothing happened. She looked back at Moira. “What did you do?”

“You don’t need that anymore.” She then gestured with her hand again. “Go on.”

Angela wasn’t sure what she meant. She tried to look over her shoulder, see what Moira had done to her wings but she saw nothing out of the ordinary. But she had to have done something. Why else was she suddenly unable to even get off the ground...Angela’s eyes grew wide as she felt her feet leave the ground. She looked down, saw Moira and McCree looking up at her ascent. 

“Slow down,” Moira yelled up at her.

Slow down? How was she supposed...whoa. It was happening. She was indeed slowing down. What was going on? It was as if as soon as she thought of something...oh! Of course! That small piece of metal Moira had attached to her temple.  _It must be some kind of communication device,_  she thought to herself. She was willing to bet there was one attached to her wings as well. Moira had provided her with a link between her neuronetwork and the system within the suit. It was impressive, incredibly impressive but also...fear began to build in Angela’s chest.  _I need to land_  she thought to herself.  _I need to land!_  And she began to fall again out of the sky like a wounded bird, her heart beating even faster as she came rushing towards Moira and McCree. She gritting her tried to brace herself for the impact when she thought,  _gently, slow and steady, slow and steady_. And just like a parachute had been pulled she began to slow down as she made it to the pair, stumbled into McCree on the landing.

“Holy shit!” he said once he got his footing, “You scared the shit out of me! Thought you you were gonna run me down. But look at ya! I wish you could’ve seen it from down here! Fucking incredible!”

Angela ignored him for now. Instead she turned her attention to Moira. “You linked this...this device with my nervous system.”

“The device only links your mind with your suit. It gives you full control over your flight.”

“I’m assuming this was derived from the implant.”

Moira nodded. “A modification of it yes.”

Angela shook her head and ripped the metal off her face, screaming as she did from the shock that ran through her body.

“Careful! You can’t just rip it off. You have to disconnect yourself gradually.”

Angela shoved the device in Moira’s palm. “I don’t want this. How could you put this on me? Do you want me to end up like those men?”

Moira scoffed. “Do you honest believe I would give  _you_ something if I thought it would harm you? It’s been modified. It’s not an implant anymore its detachable so there’s no long-term strain on your body. And it balances communication between your suit and your mind. If either becomes overpowered it will cease to function. It won’t harm you, Angela.”

Angela considered Moira’s words. She also considered how apprehensive Moira had been when she initially considered the implant compared to the confidence she was displaying now. “This is what you’ve been working on off-site?”

“Among other things, yes. But this, this was specifically for you.”

Angela wasn’t sure what to say. This was going above and beyond. It wasn’t necessary, but she was damned grateful for it. Moira had managed to do what she couldn’t do herself. Or at least it appeared that way. She decided now was the time if any to see exactly how well this suit interface worked. She held her hand out to Moira. “Will it hurt every time I put it on?”

“Not if you relax before initial contact.”

 Angela did as she was told taking note of her breathing as Moira placed the interface back against her skin. There was another jolt but this time it felt more like a small burn only hurting briefly before subsiding. Once again, she took several steps away from the pair, this time her mind focused on one thing. And slowly she felt her feet become light as they left the ground. For a moment she simply hovered before growing bolder and ascending even higher, so high that she had to squint to make sure Moira and McCree were still there. She took in the thin air and how different it felt from above. It seemed lighter or perhaps that was just the breaths she was taking. And then she decided to test her speed. She whizzed around doing laps around HQ. One, two, three, she tried to get faster with each one. She kept going even as she felt herself grow dizzy with the increased speed. She knew she should probably take it slower, work up to this once she got used to the flight but the feeling so invigorating. This must’ve been what birds felt like when they were racing through the sky. How incredible it was. She kept going until she felt turns and flips in her stomach. She decided now was probably the time to put her feet back on solid ground. 

Her descent this time was much slower and controlled than the first. The only problem was she had to do it several times as the first couple times she found herself landing on the wrong areas of the property.  _Definitely need to work on that_ _,_  she told herself before she finally found Moira and McCree again. This time she was the one with high energy as she ran to Moira and wrapped her arms around her almost knocking her down. “Did you see that? Did you see me up there?  _Mein Gott_  it was incredible, Moira!”

“That you were.”

McCree stood off to the side watching them with a goofy grin on his face. “Should I go?”

“What?” Angela was suddenly aware of how tightly she was wrapped around Moira. Quickly she clearly her throat and let her go. “Sorry about that.”

“No need for apologies. I’m just glad to see the interface is a success,” Moira said.

Angela was on cloud nine. She’d flown and she’d landed! It wasn’t her up in the air falling like a missile from the sky. She’d actually been of control of her actions. She was essentially there, right where she needed to be to finally be out in the field. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt a rush like this. “We need to celebrate!”

Moira and McCree exchanged a look.

“Ya’ll go on. I’ve got some things I need to finish up.”

A small pouted settled across Angela’s face. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Next time though for sure.”

Angela nodded then turned to Moira. “What about you?”

“I’ve got some time. Your office or mine?”

Angela looked down at the suit she was wearing. As much as she had she definitely wanted to get out it. The wings alone were weighing her already tired body down. “Mine.”

Moira nodded. “Lead the way.”

It had been a while since Angela had had Moira in her office, so long that it seemed weird to see her sitting on her couch with a glass of whiskey in her hands. She’d helped her out of her suit carefully as if she was deliberately trying to make sure she didn’t cross not any lines as she did. She even made it a point to look away when Angela took off the bottoms and reached for a pair of Overwatch jogging pants she had sprawled on the floor. It was almost cute as Moira had never been the type to be shy about looking her over. But she didn’t say anything not wanting to suggest anything in either direction or ruin the friendly vibe.

Moira had poured her a glass of whiskey as well and held onto it until Angela was finished dressing then handed it over. Angela took a short gulp before taking a seat next to Moira, a large grin on her face. “I flew today, Moira.”

Moira smiled as well. “I saw.”

Angela lightly elbowed her in her side. “Seriously, I flew and you made it happen for me. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You can thank me by helping me keep the device up to date. Let me know of any troubleshooting errors I need to correct or any modification you think would improve it and I’ll be sure to keep it functioning for you.”

Angela took another gulp of her drink before leaning forward with her elbows on her thighs. “I think...I feel I owe you an apology.”

Moira’s brow arched. “For what exactly?”

“For not giving you the opportunity to improve your implant. You lost your funding because of me. I should’ve gone to you and allowed to explain yourself before going to Jack and Ana. I’m sorry, Moira.”

Moira swirled the brown liquor around in her glass before downing half of it. “And here I thought you were going to talk about the broken nose.”

Angela chuckled. “I’ve already apologized for that.” She then reached up with two fingers and ran them down Moira’s newly healed nose. “It healed wonderfully by the way.”

“No thanks to you,” Moira said with a small smile.

“Come on, I’m sorry, Moira, you know that.”

Moira then put her glass down and gazed at Angela, walking a finger along the line of her jaw. “I suppose I could forgive you.”

“You could. But will you is the real question?”

For a moment they sat watching each other, shallow breathes flowing a gentle evening breeze. There was also electricity in the air, so strong that Angela thought she’d feel the shock if they were to touch. But before it could become too concentrated Moira got up from her spot and poured herself more whiskey taking a moment to swirl it around in the glass again before downing it entirely. “Already forgiven, darling.”

Angela shifted in her spot when Moira rejoined her unconsciously moving closer to her. She could feel Moira’s warmth as their arms brushed against each other, a small shudder running through her upon contact. Moira gazed at her out the corner of her eye as she leaned into the sofa getting more comfortable. “You alright, Angela?”

“Hmm?” She turned her left knee pointing into the sofa as took another sip of her drink.

“You seem to be feeling...a way.”

“A way? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Tipsy some would say.”

Angela chuckled nervously to herself. Was it that obvious? It then occurred to her just how close she’d gotten to Moira. She was leaning in so close she could smell the liquor on her breath, mild and teasing. She cleared her throat backed away. “I’m fine.”

“I’m sure,” Moira said after giving her a knowing look. The exchange was interrupted by the strong vibrations of Angela’s phone against her desk. She became aware of just how “tipsy” she was when she got to her feet and nearly fell back into the sofa. She looked back at Moira who pretended not to notice then eased to desk to check the message she’d just received. Immediately she felt her heart began to race. It was Amélie.

_I_ _’_ _d love to see you if you’re available._

Angela read the message several times before looking up from the screen and catching Moira’s gaze. “Problem?” she asked with a raised brow.

Angela cleared her throat. “I um, I forgot that I need to do something tonight. Perhaps we can take a raincheck on these drinks?”

Moira’s eyes burned into her to her so deeply Angela could feel her skin burning from the gaze. She then stood placing her glass down on the end table next to the sofa. “Your married friend?”

Angela froze for a moment before looking away.

“Ah.” Moira rubbed the wrinkles out of her clothes before stepping towards the door. “Did she tell you about our conversation?”

Eyes still to the floor, Angela responded, “Briefly.”

“Hmm.” Moira said nothing else as she headed out the door leaving Angela with a heavy mind. 

Nearly two hours later Angela found Amélie sitting outside of her apartment door. She’d sobered up quite a bit since Amélie’s initial text due to the stressful thoughts that had bounced around in her mind. Like what would’ve with Moira if Amélie hadn’t contacted her? The chemistry was still very strong. She could blame the alcohol but she knew it wasn’t what drew her to Moira. Then there was the conversation she and Amélie had had the last time they saw each other. Two weeks later and she still had no definitive answer as to whether or not she wanted to continue whatever it was that was developing between them. And even if she did would she be able to? Amélie would be leaving soon and she’d be out on missions soon. That left very little time if any for them to spend together. 

She held out her hand to Amélie who grabbed it and pulled herself up to feet. She was wearing a black coat open to display the turtleneck underneath with dark jeans and boots, her hair in low ponytail thrown over her shoulder. 

“Have you been out here long?”

“Half an hour or so.”

Angela nodded as she fumbled with her keys. “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“It was no problem.”

Amélie stepped inside first leaving Angela to follow. As soon as the door shut she pushed Angela’s back against it covering her lips with her own. Angela’s hands found her waist as she pulled her closer enjoying the feel of her body against her own. Warm, soft, eager as she moved against her, Angela had definitely missed it. But as quickly as she was on her she was away leaving behind the empty warmth of the apartment air. Amélie eyed her curiously as she ran her thumb along the edge of Angela’s lower lip. “You taste of alcohol.”

Angela swallowed hard and cleared her throat. “I was having a drink when I got your message. A celebration of sorts.”

“Oh? Celebrating what exactly?”

Angela’s face lit up as she reminisced on her moment of flight. “I flew.”

“You flew? You got it to work?”

“With the help of a friend, yes. It’s finally working. Oh, I wish you could’ve seen me, Amélie. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Angela walked around the room as she described her period in the sky to Amélie the best she could, the way the air felt against her skin, through her hair in her lungs, the way the colors blended around her. But it seemed the more she tried the harder it was for her to pinpoint the greatness of that moment. “I wish you could’ve seen it.”

Amélie watched her with a small smile on her face. “Who helped you?”

“What?”

“You said ‘with the help of a friend’. Who helped you?”

Angela felt all of her excitement escape her like a deflated balloon. “Moira.”

Amélie’s face was unreadable. “I take it she is with whom you shared the drink.”

Angela stepped towards her. “Amélie.”

“Relax, Angela. I think it’s great. I know you’ve been working on this for a while, and I am happy you were finally able to make it happen.” She walked across the room and wrapped her arms around Angela’s waist from behind, her breath warm on her neck. “I’d love to see you in action myself sometime.”

“Oh? I can make that happen.” Angela turned so that she was face to face with Amélie, their lips grazing. “I missed you.”

“I miss you too.”

“Did you really?”

Amélie’s brow arched. “Do you doubt me?”

Angela placed her hand on her chin as if she was considering the possibility. “I suppose not.”

“Great answer.”

Angela rolled her eyes then nudged her playfully. She then paused not wanting to ruin the moment but also not wanting to miss it either. There were things that needed to be discussed between them and she felt this would probably be the best time to put it all on the table. So, reluctantly, she separated herself from the dancer and took a seat on the couch. She then patted the spot next to her until Amélie was following suit and taking a seat as well.

“There were some things left in the air the last time we spoke.”

Amélie swallowed hard and nodded her head. “Yes.”

“I have questions.”

“I’ll do my best to provide answers.”

Angela twirled her thumbs and cleared her throat. “When you leave to rejoin your company, how long will you be gone?”

Amélie shifted in her seat and began to fiddle with her fingers as well. “Three months, initially.”

“Initially?”

Amélie nodded but didn’t make eye contact. She explained that the first three months would be dedicated to rehearsals in Versailles. She’d be allowed home on weekends to visit but that would only be until opening night. After that there would be no way to tell how long she’d be away. It could be as short as a few months and as long as a year depending on the success of the production. Angela found herself stiffen at that news. She’d expected a similar answer but had also hoped that maybe she was wrong.

“So when you leave, I won’t be able to see you.”

“You will. I’ll come back every weekend. And when you have time you can visit me as well. And when the production starts I can visit during the week when we’re nearby. I...I’ve made this work before.”

“With your husband?”

Amélie flinched at the word and stood to her feet. “Angela.”

“How would this work with the two of us? If you’re home for the weekend and he’s not away on a mission then what? What happens if you’re only free time is when I'm away?”

“You make this sound impossible.” Amélie’s voice was low and fragile as if it would crack at any moment. Angela tried to search her face but she purposely avoided her gaze. “But perhaps you’re right. Maybe this is impossible.”

In her heart Angela knew there was no real way to make this situation work to her advantage. Maybe before Amelie had decided to rejoin her company but even then there were no guarantees. If anything, it would only end in pain and/or disappointment. Still she wasn’t ready to just give up either. She stood and held out her hand to Amélie who looked at it briefly before taking it in her own. For a moment they stood with their foreheads touching breathing in sync in the silent room. Amélie’s squeezed her hand off and on like a gentle pulse. She wondered if that was how her heart was feeling in her chest as she feared the outcome of this discussion.

Angela took a long hard breath before asking another pressing question. “If we could somehow make this work, what do you see happening with us? Would it be worth it to give it a try?”

The squeezing stopped as did Amélie’s breathing for a long moment before a sharp breath escaped her lungs. “Are you asking if I would leave him?”

“I’m asking if pursuing this would be worth it for both of us.”

Angela took a step back so that Amélie would have to look at her. She wanted to be able to gaze into her eyes when she answered this question. She saw the moisture that was sporting in them as she searched her own eyes looking for answers Angela couldn’t provide.

“I can’t say for sure, Angela. I can only say that I want you and I want to try.”

Angela appreciated the honesty even if it provided very little comfort and no clarity. She studied the fear plastered on Amélie’s face and the shallow breaths she took trying to prepare herself for her response. Angela knew what she should say. It was the only sensical thing to do in a situation like this. She reached up and wiped the first few tears that dared to slip out of Amélie’s eyes and rest her palms on her cheeks. “So, let’s try,” she said.

Amélie’s eyes grew wide immediately. “You mean that?”

Angela wasn’t sure if she really meant it but she agreed just the same. Amélie wrapped her arms around her holding her tight like she was afraid she’d slip away. It felt good, Angela thought, the feel of her body wrapped around her own. Amazing actually. But she couldn’t help feeling she’d regret this decision later on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now things are getting real! Finally getting the ball rolling here. Kinda getting tired of the build up so I really wanted to at least jump into what's to come a bit with the intro. Moira centric chapter. Was hard as shit to write but I like it. Hope you do too!

She was the perfect specimen laid out before Moira like she’d just won the ultimate prize. She couldn’t stop staring. How peaceful she appeared with those golden eyes covered by heavy lids. Even with a neutral face there appeared to be a half-smile on her lips. How ironic given the circumstance. Moira ran her hand over the silky strands of her hair. How perfectly straight it was, no frizz, not one piece out of place except for the small patch missing from the base of her skull. But that wasn't visible. How was it she was able to be so perfect? Even with strong gel and water Moira could never get hers to do quite what she wanted it to. Her eyes moved down to the straps around the woman’s wrists holding her to the bed, the bruising around her knuckles from the resistance she’d put up. A fighter. How...unexpected. A small smile inched on Moira’s face. How she wished she could’ve seen it for herself. In all honesty, she hadn’t expected this. For the wife to be so perfectly suited for her needs, she’d hoped but had already accepted the possibility that the woman would die during the experiment. And she very well still could. But she’d shown a resilience that Moira hadn’t expected her to have. It was impressive.

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she noticed the first flutter of the woman’s eyes struggle to adjusting to the blinding white light, the smile waning as she struggled to regain consciousness. Her wrists moved, turning slowly at first until they realized they were bound. Then a fight began to ensue with a light tug that turned into several harsh yanks, each one causing the bed the rock. The woman began to breath harshly as she struggled to sit up, her eyes now open frantically scanning the room and the paper-thin gown covering her body. Then she paused when her eyes met the doctor standing over her. Moira placed her hand on the woman’s forehead noting the coolness of her skin against her palm.

“There, there, now,” she whispered. “Easy does it.”

Dilated pupils bore into her as the woman eased down on the bed, her breathing calming only a tad. “Where am I?”

“You are in my lab, Amélie.”

“Your lab?” Her eyes went back to scanning the space which was mostly bare save for a chair in the corner of the room and large mirrored wall across from her. “Who are you? Why do you have me here?”

Moira couldn’t contain the magnificent grin that spread across her face. “Calm down darling. The answers will come, I promise.” She placed one hand gently on Amélie’s right wrist. "Now, I'm going to release the straps. You are not to leave this bed when I do, understand?”

The woman thought for a moment, her brows crinkling before slowly moving her head up and down. Moira scanned her for a moment for any sign of deception before releasing the right wrist. Amélie immediately lifted it up examining the red ring around it. When the left was free, she used her fingers to rub the area and sooth the angry skin. 

“I’m going to step out now. Again, you are not to leave this bed, understood?”

The woman nodded again.

From behind the mirrored wall Moira watched her for nearly an hour stretch and roll from one side to the other. She’d sit up, dangling her feet over the edge or bring her knees up to her chin. Not once did she attempt to leave the bed.  _Remarkable_ , Moira thought to herself. This was even better than she’d imagined it would be. The things she’d could do with a servant as obedient as this. But she also didn’t want to jump ahead of herself. This was only a small test. There were many more the woman would need to pass before she’d could evaluate just how useful she’d be. For now, however she figured she’d give her a chance to rest. She pressed a small button on the intercom. “Amélie, you’re free to leave the bed if you’d like.”

The woman nodded again before hopping off the bed and taking a couple steps and gazing around her again. Her fingers went to the glass of the mirrors first touching her reflection before coming up to her face. Moira then looked at her assistant who’d been watching with her the entire time. There were several gashes on her face, all caused by Amélie. Moira lightly touched them, fascinated by what she saw. “Explain to me again what she was like when she was brought in.”

 “Wild. Uncontrollable. We had to put her under heavy sedation.”

“She wasn’t afraid?”

“Yes. Maybe? A little. She was more enraged than anything.” The woman touched her face as if remembering the attack. “It took two of them to hold her down so I could administer the sedative.” 

Moira went to her computer and ran back the footage from when Amélie was brought in. “Did she say anything?”

“She demanded to be let go said we would regret this. That was it.”

Moira nodded as she watched Amélie dig her nails into her assistant’s face then punch one of the orderlies several times as the other grabbed her arm. She then watched as they finally got a firm enough hold on her for the assistant to jab a needle into her neck. “Tell me about the implantation process.”

“I implanted her with a level 1 as requested. It’s having interesting effects on the hippocampus. But I'm afraid it’s blocking too much of her memory for your current plan to be successful.”

“Hmm.” Moira continued to watch Amélie’s admission footage as they placed her limp body on a gurney and led her into the operation room. How impersonal it must’ve been to have a complete strange complete such a daunting task. A pang of sadness ran through her. Moira would’ve preferred to have the one to do the implantation but due to circumstance it simply wasn’t possible. But she would be there the rest of the way. She wouldn’t leave Amélie in the  hands of strangers for any more important tasks. 

A buzzing from Moira’s phone drew her out of her thoughts. She’d missed five calls already. Now came the texts. 

_Get back here as soon as you_

_can._ _We have a crisis on our hands._

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Get Mrs. Lacroix some food and anything else she may ask for. But she is under no circumstance allowed any source of communication.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“I’ve got to head back to HQ but I'll be back in the morning. My phone will be on if you need anything.”

“Understood.”

Moira looked back once more to see the woman frowning at her reflection. She thought for a moment before walking over to it standing directly in front of her. She watched with her hands held behind her back as Amélie walked her fingers over the tender skin around her knuckles, wincing as she clenched and released her fists. _Don’t you worry. I'll be back soon_ , Moira thought to herself, the thought bringing flutters to her stomach.

Two Weeks Earlier

Moira sat at her desk at Overwatch HQ swirling a small glass of whiskey in her left hand while staring at her computer screen. The email, she’d read it over a dozen times by now and couldn’t take her mind off of it. 

_I believe_ _it’s_ _time we beg_ _a_ _n our working relationship. I’ll be by this evening to speak with you._

There wasn’t a signature but she knew who it was from. It had been a few weeks since she’d heard from or seen Ogundimu but she knew not to get complacent with his absence. The lab, the funding, the resources, she knew they all came at a cost and she’d been patiently waiting for him to come collect his debt. However now that the time was here she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly that would require of her. 

Before she could get too lost in her thoughts a soft knock was placed on her door followed by her secretary poking her head in. “Commander Reyes is here for you.”

Moira nodded and waved her hand, giving permission to let him in. Moments later Reyes was stepping in, the strong scent of nicotine sweeping the room with him. He plopped down in the chair across her desk and leaned forward, something he usually did when there was something important to discuss. “You’ve been a hard woman to catch.”

“I believe you were the one who recommended I seek outside funding for my projects.”

Reyes nodded. “Take it you found some.”

Moira nodded and took a gulp of her drink. “Am I in trouble?”

Reyes raised a brow. “Done something I need to know about?”

“Probably, but nothing immediate comes to mind.”

“Then no, no trouble here.” Reyes nodded at Moira’s glass. “Any of that to share?”

Moira thought on it for a moment before standing from her desk and walking across the room to a cabinet where she kept foam coffee cups and a spare bottle of whiskey. She poured a small amount for Reyes then handed it over before reclaiming her seat. Reyes took a long audible gulp before placing the cup on the desk and leaning back with a sigh. “We need to talk about Ziegler.”

Moira had to bite her tongue to keep the scoff from escaping. Angela. There was always something with Angela. It had been a little over a week since she’d given Angela the gift of flight, something that everyone knew about by now. And Angela gave her credit for her part. She was too good of a person not to. And in some ways Moira was grateful. No restrictions had been raised from her service but the general reception she got from her colleagues was a little more on the positive side. But there was still something that bothered her a great deal. The evening immediately following Angela’s first real flight, the buzzing of her phone and how quickly she’d scurried away afterwards. Then there was Lacroix who walked around with a chip on his shoulder and had lost some of his usually positive nature. Problems at home, that much everyone knew. But to what extend? Moira knew about that wife of his but in all honesty she’d never expected Angela ever partake in—

“Moira? You listening?”

Moira’s eyebrow arched as she focused on Reyes. “What about Angela?”

“I said she’ll be accompanying us on our next mission.”

The frown that followed was involuntary. “Excuse me?”

“We’ve reviewed her progress and believe she’s ready to begin shadowing in the field.”

“Hmm.” Moira leaned back in her chair. “Why us? She couldn’t shadow Amari’s team? Or Morrison’s?”

Reyes grabbed his cup and took another long gulp finishing the rest of the liquor. “Well they want her to shadow you specifically.”

This time Moira couldn’t muffle her scoff. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“She’s a medic. You have experience as a medic. You can show what’s to be expected of her out there.”

“There are other medics, Gabriel.”

“None as efficient in combat and first aid as you.” Reyes then leaned forward, close enough for Moira to smell the mixture of alcohol and nicotine on his breath. “I thought with the work you did on her suit that maybe you two had worked some things out.”

Moira’s frowned deepened as she pictured the flushed look on Angela’s face that night, right before she ran out of her office leaving a trail of apologies behind her. “Is this necessary?”

“You’re working your way back into good standing, Moira. Don’t ruin it now. I didn’t take you for one to allow personal feelings to interfere with business.”

Moira sighed deeply. Reyes was right. She knew how to maintain the boundary between the two despite how difficult it was to do when it came to Angela. “This isn’t going to be a common occurrence, is it?”

Reyes shook his head. “You’ll assist in her training. Once she’s on her own she’ll be assigned to a different team.”

“Fine.”

A relieved smile came upon Reyes’s lips. “Great. I’ll let everyone know you’re on board. The next mission that comes up she’ll come along.”

Moira did her best to contain the agitation that was coursing through her veins. Hopefully, she thought, this mission will be sooner rather than later. She wanted nothing more than to get it over with so she could move forward. And she didn’t realize it then, but it would come a lot sooner than even she expected.

She’d get a visit from Ogundimu later that evening when she made it back to her lab. The timing couldn’t have been worse she thought as he’d come strolling through her door. A fix for Angela’s suit hadn’t been the only thing she’d been working on in her spare time. There were other uses for the infamous implant she was still working out. In trying to correctly the initial problems with it she’d learned that she could not only balance the strain that it put on the systems of one’s body but also gain control of them as well. She’d done light trials on some of her staff, willing participants eager to impress her no matter the cost. It was one thing she was thankful for. Ogundimu knew how to find obedient workers. Through these trials she’d manage to control small amounts of motor functioning and memory. A worker who had never touched an instrument in their life was suddenly able read music and flawless play the piano. One who was known for their clumsiness suddenly had fine tune motor coordination. But there was more she could do, so much more. Moira began considering the possibility of creating the perfect person, the perfect specimen. She wanted to take someone and fine tune them into the epitome of a soldier, someone who could not be defeated, who could out maneuver their opponent and take them down before they could ever figure out what went wrong. Someone so skilled and loyal to her could help her a great deal. She wouldn’t need to rely on grants, donations to get what she needed. This person would be her key. What any army would pay for tech like that. But there were still tests to be made, tests that even her loyal staff were apprehensive about undergoing. She'd need someone else to test out this theory. That was what she was thinking of when Ogundimu walked through her door.

“Dr. O’Deorain. Hard at work, I see.”

Moira paused and swallowed the irritation that was overflowing from having her thoughts interrupted. “Ogundimu.”

“Akande is fine.”

Moira forced a thin smile upon her lips before turning to face him. “Akande. How can I help you?”

“Well, as you might’ve guessed I’ve spoken with my superiors. We believe it’s time that you began your working relationship with us.”

“Ah.” Moira nodded. She knew this day would come soon. It had been too quiet and she’d become too comfortable with her new lab. They knew exactly what they were doing. Let her get settled in, enjoy it, revel in it before cashing in on their loan. Moira looked towards her office which was adjacent to the work space she was in. “Shall we?”

Ogundimu nodded and followed her inside opting to lounge of the sofa where she often slept instead of the chair directly in front of her desk. Moira took a deep breath feeling more agitation welling inside of her before sitting in the chair she preferred him in and crossing the right leg over the left. She then eyed him curiously as his eyes scanned the space, the bare walls, the papers on her desk, the change of clothes folded neatly on the seat of the sofa next to him and the change of shoes near his feet. A smile came across his lips. “Enjoying your space?”

“What can I do for you, Akande?”

Ogundimu nodded, that smile not waning. He then spread his arms and propped them on the back of the couch. “Gérard Lacroix. You know him.”

Moira nodded. “He’s a colleague, yes.”

“You know of his obsession with us. Talon.”

Moira arched a brow. “I know his work often crosses path with your organization.”

Ogundimu nodded, that smile still strong on his face. “Pain in the ass, that man. He has been a thorn in our sides for a while now. There was a time we would’ve been satisfied with the mere end of his existence. However, as of late things have begun to feel a bit more...personal.”

“Personal? How so?”

Ogundimu leaned forward with his hands clasped, the smile finally dropping from his face. “He’s no longer just interfering with our affairs. He’s trying to end us and that cannot be allowed.”

Moira saw where this was going. She could kill Gérard. She didn’t hate him, didn’t even dislike him. But she had no strong attachment to his either. If that’s what it took to keep this lab, this equipment she’d been supplied with for the time being, she could make it happen. But then Ogundimu pulled a file out of his attaché and handed it to her. Moira expected it to be a plan of action which in some way it was. But the face that stared up at her was not the one she was expecting.

“How well do you know Mrs. Lacroix?”

A chill ran down Moira’s spine at the mention of the name. The  _married friend_  was the first thought that ran through her mind. Moira’s eyes ran over her imagine, her straight black hair spilling over her shoulders, the intense bore of her deep brown eyes. It was as she was looking through her even from a photo. She thought of the way the woman had stared her down on that rooftop before Angela came between and she fought like hell to maintain a neutral face. “Not well.”

“So you’ll have no problem handling her?”

Moira stared at the photo a moment longer, a the woman in thin spandex pants as if she was somehow unaware that it was the middle of winter. She then looked back to Ogundimu. “You want to me kill her?”

Then smile returned to his lips. “So nonchalant.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Eventually. They want her captured first. Tortured. Pictures are to be taken, sent, taunting him. He is to suffer. Once we decide he’s suffered enough she can die.”

“Hmm.” The plan wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great either. Simple, lacked any real thought or passion. How many people have tortured and killed someone’s family to get back at them? It lacked originality. Not that Moira had any real qualms about killing the wife. She didn’t consider herself to be a murderer. She’d never killed anyone that she didn’t have to but she also knew she could. But this plan of theirs,  _Talon_ , it just seemed like it lacked...something. “So you’re going to torture and kill his wife to do what exactly? Teach him a lesson? Get him to stop meddling in your affairs?” Moira shrugged as she tossed the file aside. “I think you’re going about this the wrong way.”

Intense brown eyes stared back at her. “You wouldn’t be opposed to this because of an attachment you have to a colleague, would you?”

“There’s no attachment here. I’m simply thinking big picture. If you kill his wife, he’ll come at you twice as hard. It’ll only make things worse for you and given the amount of problems you are currently having with him, I don’t think you want that.”

“So then what do you suggest?”

Moira thought for a moment. If the shoe was on the other foot she’d never resort to murder. Murder in her opinion was lazy. An easy fix that never really solved the problem. Solutions needed to also yield progress in some way to truly be beneficial and pay off. That’s when it hit her. She needed a test subject. Someone she could operate on without informed consent getting in the way, someone who could face the possibility of death if things didn’t work out. And if they did? The things she could do with the wife...she could serve her purposes while also serving Talon’s. A mischievous grin came across her face. “How’d you plan on grabbing the wife?”

“We have a team running surveillance on her.”

“Is this team aware that she’ll be leave the country in a week?” Finally, office gossip was paying off. She’d heard the passing chatter about Lacroix’s marital problems and his wife’s upcoming departure. How it used to agitate her especially when she knew exactly what the cause of said problems were. But now she couldn’t help but to smile. “She leaves for Versaille next Monday. I can get you the time and itinerary you need. All you need to do is have your people grab her and bring her here.”

“Here? Why would they bring her here?”

“Because I have a way to make your plan a success. I just need you to trust me.”

A deep chuckle escaped Ogundimu’s lips. “I’m going to need more than your trust. What’s your plan?”

Moira’s smile didn’t waver. She knew her word wouldn’t be enough though she’d hoped. “I’m working on modifications to my implant and I'd like to try it on the wife. If things go well she’ll be much more useful to both you and I alive rather than dead. And if I fail she’ll be dead anyway. Either way you get what you want.”

Ogundimu gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment while stroking his chin. “I’m going to need to speak with the board.”

“Of course.”

“O’Deorain, I hope you’re not trying to back out of our deal. I’d hate for there to be a problem between us.”

A chill went down Moira’s spin but she made sure it didn’t affect her face. “Lacroix and his wife are no friends of mine if that is your concern. I’m acting in my own interest here which just happens to align with yours.”

“I hope you mean that. In the mean time I will speak with the board and get back with you. Until then nothing is to be done.”

Moira nodded. “Understood.”

In the days that followed, Moira developed a new interest in Angela’s married friend and soon she found herself surprisingly enraptured. Through gulps of whiskey she reviewed the dancer’s extensive medical history. She was the pinnacle of health. She’d never had any major health concerns, not even a broken bone or sprain. Quite remarkable given her career. She had no makers for any degenerative diseases. No heart disease, stroke, or cancers listed from immediate family. In fact, many members of her family were long lived. It didn’t seem possible. There was always someone who suffered from at least one. An aunt, grandparent, cousin. And true there could’ve been someone further back, someone that Amélie was not familiar with but as far as Moira was concerned Amélie’s family had golden genes.

She also noted that her bone density was quite remarkable as well. There were no signs of malnutrition or frailty. No disfigurations particularly in the feet. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her which only increased Moira’s interest. She eventually decided to have the dancer followed by her own people for several days to get a feel of her daily routine. However, to her disappointment, the information she was returned was mostly mundane. A daily stop at the café for tea before heading to the studio. That was of course where she spent most of her day instructing class upon class of eager young girls each session more boring than the last. When a break was allowed she often spent it practicing her craft, probably in preparation for her return to her company, Moira reasoned. A lunch was usually rushed in between, taking no longer than five minutes, then she was at it again rarely sitting or resting. Always on the move. Moira found the dedication admirable and hopefully useful.

On the final evening of surveillance a change was noted. Prior to this evening the missus had spent her evenings eating a quick dinner alone while leaving a plate in the oven, presumably for her husband. She’d then spend much of the evening with a glass of wine and her phone glued to her palm, bright smiles on her lips until he arrived home. But this last evening the plate was placed in the oven as the missus headed for a closet near the front door to debate her choice of coat. After a few moments she agreed upon a crimson colored peacoat before running her fingers through her locks one final time and heading out the door. 

Moira’s grip on her mug tightened as she watched the footage of the missus arriving in front of a very familiar apartment building. Angela’s apartment building. Her jaw clenched as she watched the woman exit the vehicle and reach in her bag for a small mirror to check her face before continuing inside. From that point the footage concluded. Moira took a long gulp from her mug as she stared at the blank screen of a tablet.  _This isn’t personal_ , she told herself. And she meant it. She thought. She’d never come across anyone with the medical stats that Amélie Lacroix possessed. But could she find someone else? She shook the thought from her head. Either way Amélie Lacroix was a dead woman. It wasn’t as if she was targeting her specifically. In fact, if successful she’d actually be saving her in a way, giving her a chance at a new life. So no, it wasn’t personal. It was all business. Completely professional. Nothing to do with Angela or their involvement. 

“Dr. O’Deorain.”

Moira was taken from her thoughts by the appearance of her secretary in front of her. “Commander Reyes has organized a briefing. Your attendance has been requested.”

Moira nodded before finishing her drink and heading to the elevators for the briefing. 

The mission was due to take place in forty-eight hours. Reyes would oversee it but Lacroix was running point. A contact of his had provided intel of dangerous bioweapons being purchased and delivered to Talon operatives in Berlin. After careful cross referencing it appeared that the intel checked out. Moira glanced at the blonde sitting next to her sitting with her back straight, hands in her lap listening intently. She and Angela would provide support to the main team if there were any complications. They were to remain in the background behind the group until their assistance was necessary. When the briefing was over Reyes pulled her to the side to remind her of her role. “You’ll be her guide. She’ll follow your command. She does what you tell her to do.”

Moira couldn’t help but smirk. “You sure that’s wise?”

Reyes chuckled. “Nope, but I trust you.”

That made her smile waver just a tad. After Reyes walked away Angela approached her tentatively. It was clear she was attempted to suppress her excitement. But the fire in her blue eyes could not be put out. “The time has finally come.”

“That it has.” 

“Gabriel says to follow you so that’s what I'll do.”

Moira nodded. “Great.” She attempted to walk off but Angela softly grabbed her by her shoulder and stopped her.

For a moment Angela kept her eyes to the ground and chewed on her bottom lip before finally asking, “Is there anything I should know? Anything I should expect?”

Moira swallowed and thought for a moment. “How comfortable are you with your pistol?”

Angela swallowed hard. “I know how to use it.”

“But can you?” Moira formed a gun with her fingers and pressed it to Angela’s forehead. Angela’s eyes opened wide, became large oceans as Moira stared intense through her. “If there’s a threat can you take a life? Because if it comes down to it, you’ll have to forgo your role as medic and become a soldier. It’s kill or be killed out there. Can you handle that?”

A couple shallow breaths escaped Angela thin lips. “Have you killed?”

Moira stared at her intently, the way her brows were furrowed and her lips trembled ever so slightly. It occurred to her that she’d never explicitly implicated herself in any murders when speaking to Angela, but she figured she understood that it was part of the job. At some point everyone has to. She wondered what Angela would say if she told her the truth. Not that it should’ve come as any surprise. It was another reminder that Angela wasn’t cut out of for this. Her voice was icy when she said, “If I tell you to shoot someone you will do it. Understood, Ziegler?”

Angela swallowed hard. For a moment she didn’t move. She just stood staring at Moira while clenching and unclenching her hands and shifting from foot to foot, but eventually she nodded. “Understood.”

Before Moira could say anything else both of their gazes were stolen by Lacroix as he pushed past them and made a beeline for Reyes. Angela stared at him with uncertain eyes as if she was yearning to say something but also afraid to approach. Moira observed but resisted the urge to speak on it. 

“That’s all for now, Moira. I speak with you more later.”

Moira watched as Angela took slow steps and began following behind Lacroix until her hand made its way to the back of his shoulder. Lacroix’s spin was abrupt and the glare that followed was colder than the icy tone Moira had previously used. She wanted to stay and watch the exchange but she had other things to get to, like convincing Ogundimu to agree to her plan.

The fact that the mission was to take place right around the time that the missus would be going away was all too perfect for Moira to ignore especially since both Angela and Gérard would both be preoccupied and out of the country at the time. It would make grabbing her all too easy. Plus, her intel would be more than beneficial to Talon. She had the upper hand and nothing delighted Moira more than when she was in control.

“You let me have the wife I’ll tell you what I know.” Moira stood up straight as she stared directly into Ogundimu’s cold dark eyes. They were in her office in her lab, Moira’s computer screen shining bright behind her.

He swallowed hard as his brows crinkled. “The board isn’t willing to agree to your plan.”

“Tell the board it’s in their best interest to change their minds. My intel for the wife. It’s my final offer.”

“You’re in no position to make ultimatums, O’Deorain.”

Moira couldn’t help the harsh chuckle that escaped her lips. “Then let Lacroix continue to pain that ass of yours.”

A rush of pain shot up Moira arm before she knew it. She looked down and saw her skinny wrist in the middle of Ogundimu’s tight fist, clenching her like pliers and growing tighter as his face became more intense. “We had a deal. We gave you this,” he said looking around the lab, “for you cooperation. Tell me what you know.”

Moira took a deep breath but keep a neutral face. Despite the pain she would not be intimidated. “Men usually result to barbarian tactics when their minds aren’t able to keep up.”

Ogundimu’s face grew even tighter but his grip slackened just a tad. “Why are you so interested in her?”

Moira thought about that question for a long moment, her mind sliding back to her rooftop encounter with Amélie at the fundraiser. The disgust the covered her face and the spit the flung from her lips when she called her  _pathetic_.Before she knew it, her teeth clenched tight, her jaw sore from the strain. “What did you call Gérard? Thorn in your side? Pain in the ass.”

Ogundimu finally released her from his grip and took a step back with a grin. “Ah. I understand it now. I’ve heard stirrings of a situation between the wife and a certain Overwatch physician.” He folded his arms over his chest as his grin spread into a full smile. “Is she really as alluring as they say? Dr. Ziegler?”

Moira swallowed hard. “What have you heard? What stirrings?”

“My team has her under surveillance, remember?”

For a loud moment a suffocating silence filled the room and neither party seemed to take a breath. Moira didn’t blink and didn’t take her eyes off of Ogundimu’s. He maintained the same stubborn eye contact and taunting smile, didn’t allow it to waver or drop even a bit. “Even the cold hearted can feel from time to time, huh, O’Deorain?”

“I’ll make her kill him. I’ll make her kill her husband. Nothing could hurt him worse than meeting his end at the hands of his own wife.”

That wiped the cockiness off Ogundimu’s face. For a moment shock settled upon his face before apprehension replaced it. “How do you plan to do that?”

“Get the board to agree to my terms and I'll show you. I’ll also give you that intel you feel so entitled to. Do we have a deal?” Moira held out her hand which stayed in the air for a bit before Ogundimu finally swallowed it with his own.

“I will do my very best.” Ogundimu then headed for the door, his back to Moira.

“You have less than forty-eight hours, Akande. Make them count.”

Ogundimu stopped for a moment but didn’t look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello World! Boy has it been a while! Man I really hate that this has been so delayed. Life has just been uber crazy and that paired with struggling with how to go about this chapter put me way behind. But I've finally got a little break for the holidays and was able to get this thing finished. Hope you guys enjoyed it! And happy holidays guys! As always thanks for reading! :)


End file.
